Comments are my own? Are you sure?

A person looking at job candidates can see this written all over the place "my comments are my own". This phrase is seen on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and many social media accounts. The meaning is that the persons comments do not reflect the company or organization that they work for. Is this 100% true though?

Do your comments and actions online reflect on a business? Some Human Resource managers will say that the answer is yes. That ultimately when a person starts working for a company they are a reflection of that company and people will judge a business based on the people they have working at the company.

For example let’s use a 911 dispatcher that always talks negatively about his job, co-workers, and the clients. Would a hiring manager want to hire a person after looking at their social media sites? A hiring manager is looking for someone who is going to add to the business and not shed negative light on a company.

Don’t think that HR looks at social media sites? It is estimated that 59% of hiring managers use search engines to look at candidates after they have read their resumes. IT hiring managers are especially high with almost 76% looking at how you conduct yourself outside the office. That not so healthy picture of you drunk at a birthday party is not a good idea when looking for a job.

So what are hiring managers actually looking for at job candidates social media sites? Career Builder posted the top things that managers are looking for:

1.    Job Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information.

2.    Candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs.

3.    Career Candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation.

4.    Job Candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employees.

5.    Career Candidate lied about qualifications.

6.    Candidate had poor communication skills.

7.    Job Candidate was linked to criminal behavior.

8.    Career Candidate shared confidential information from previous employers. This would include talking about clients of your previous employers. This is especially true if the job candidate worked in the medical field where certain federal privacy laws are in place.

9.    Candidate’s screen name was unprofessional.

10. Candidate lied about an absence. Telling your boss that your sick and then going off on a skiing trip is not a smart thing to do.

11. Candidate posted too frequently. Are you tweeting when you should be working?

When people post items on social media, their private lives no longer become their private lives. Human beings will always be a representation of their culture, church, organization affiliations, and careers. That’s just the way that it is.