Your online profile is a reflection of you

By Poshia Musesya (@pmusesya)

I walked into an interview room, confident, my academic papers safely tucked in an envelope.  The panel consisted of five people: 3 men and two women.

I was not scared, I had the academic qualifications and the necessary experience for this job.

I was prepared to answer any question that they asked. Having researched about the company, I looked the interviewers in the eye, greeted them and proceeded to the seat that was reserved for me.

“What name do you use on facebook and twitter?” was the first question. I did not expect this. I expected them to inquire about my papers and experience.

They asked me to log into my facebook and twitter accounts and proceeded to go through my public profile. For five minutes, there was silence, then finally: “She is okay, we can proceed with her.”

I had to ask why my facebook profile was connected to the position that I had applied for.

“Your online profile is a reflection of who you are as a person. If all you post is obscenities, then that is who you are in real life. If your grammar is wanting, then that means that your reports and other written materials are of poor grammar,” I was told.

They went further and told me that your brand starts with your online profile. Whatever is written/ posted there is what people perceive of you as an individual. People do not differentiate between the real you and the person online because they view you as one person.

 Therefore, companies have began the practice of going through prospective employee’s profiles because they need to know the kind of person that they are dealing with.

Is it appropriate, you ask? Yes it is. Employees are the biggest brand ambassadors that a company can have. Employees are in charge of a company’s image. Employees are the face of the company.

So, it is important that these employers have professional online profiles that reflect the values of the organization.

How do you think it reflects on the company’s image if it’s employees have nude pictures or obscenities on their online profiles?

It is important to be professional online and to know that whatever you post today will be used against or for you in a future job interview or any other vetting process.

Did I get the job, I hear you ask. Well, I wouldn't be writing this seated behind some huge desk, would I?