Make no mistake about it, we are smack in the middle of the information overload age where FB posts, Tweets and blog posts move along at a hyper-speed pace. It’s a time where what you say online really matters. You can tell friends about products you’ve used, rate your best restaurants, pretty much give your opinion on just about anything.

But you better be careful, what you say because it could come back to haunt you!

Why?
Because more and more companies can now investigate current and potential employees conduct on these social media platforms, that’s right. A bit of current history…

In May of 2011 the FCC gave permission to a company called Social Intelligence the green light to run background checks on your Internet and social media history.

Now here’s what we know, this company will not store information on you like those companies that do credit checks for seven years but they can go back that far and track your usage. Look, even if you’ve been living in a cave for the last couple of years everyone is certainly aware of how important it is to monitor what is said about you personally or about your company. After all, we all know that any potentially damaging information could hurt you or your brand. Heard this before, correct?

Well, it appears that with this new FCC ruling the doors are now open for a structured/formalized social media background checks to become part of every employers screening procedure. But knowing that this is now the case, common sense should really come into play here.

Some Good Practices to Follow…NEVER-

  1. Never post anything you wouldn’t want your Grandma to see (no joke)
  2. Limit your public posting of pictures and such, especially those from the weekend keg bash
  3. Never use FB or Twitter to engage in an open debate with a boy or girlfriend, those rarely end well!
  4. Limit your exposure to questionable websites and forums
  5. Unlawful activity captured in pictures, big no-no
  6. Be very careful what you say on video, remember phones these days upload video faster than ever
  7. Sexually explicit behavior caught on film or video…need we say more
  8. Demonstrate violent or aggressive behavior openly
  9. Wear clothing that can be considered risque
  10. ALWAYS USE COMMON SENSE

For some this may seem a bit over board but none the less the message is clear, your next employer and even colleges may be looking at your social footprint, so you need to be aware of that. All in all lots to consider in this age of information but If you use common sense, act and behave like your grandma taught you you should be fine!