The Social Media Reputation, How This Revolution Could Damage Your Brand

I am amazed how people continue to post things on Facebook, twitter, my space and other social media that could be damaging to their reputation. If you think recruiters are not looking, think again. It is reported that 80% of companies use social media for recruitment. So how do you control what is being said via social media? Well, you can both never be part of the social media revolution and miss out on all the positive things or you can take control of your social media persona.

Some recommendations would be to limit the friends you connect with on social media outlets. For the friends you are connected with be open with them and ask them not to tag any photos of you unless you approve it. Maintain privacy levels high so that not everyone can view your profile or comment on your page. Since there are so many social media outlets, try and keep your personal friends on one social network and your business contacts on another. Personally, I keep friends on Facebook and business contacts on LinkedIn.

There are some positive things social media does provide while you are searching for a job. LinkedIn for example, provides space for former business associates to recommend you. This provides recruiters with a quick snapshot of your reliability and work ethics. Also, since LinkedIn allows users to see who your contacts are, many times a common acquaintance would also give you the creditability without you seeking an actual recommendation.

Always think of yourself as a brand. When you don’t think highly of a product, you spread the word. Social media has become the new way of spreading that word. A staggering 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations for brands while only 14% of consumers trust advertisements. Also, as the blogger world continues to grow, approximately 34% of these bloggers are commenting about products and brands. Just think how if you were brand, how one negative thing can ruin your reputation. It takes years to build a successful reputation (brand), but it takes seconds to ruin it with one viral negative posting.

-Adriana Muniz