Social media has become such a part of our culture, sometimes it can be hard to see the clear lines between what is appropriate and inappropriate information to share. Often people share their family events, thoughts, hopes, dreams, successes and failures. Once you enter the professional world, you need to be extra careful about what you post on social media. Whether employed or just interviewing, not every topic is free game anymore. What you post could affect more than just you. The last thing you want to do is put yourself, the company or other staff in legal jeopardy due to information you have casually released in a public forum. Here are a few ethical areas to be careful about when posting on social media.

Work Sensitive Issues

Social media is NOT the place to file complaints against co-workers, managers, or customers. Even if you keep their names out of the post, the information you share could be detailed enough to get you into trouble. The last thing you want to do is air your professional dirty laundry out in a public forum. A post could cause someone to pursue legal action or at the very least you could lose your company a paying customer. If you expose too much information or become known as someone that can’t be trusted, it could ultimately lead to your termination.

Controversial Pictures

This is more for for your job safety, especially if you are interviewing for a new position. Hiring managers will search your social media profiles to get an idea of how you represent yourself to the public. Photos that are “wild” or “aggressive” in nature are seen as a liability to the company as you may be considered unprofessional. Many times candidates have lost out on a job position due to what was found on their social pages. To avoid this issue, be aware of the message you are putting out when you post a picture. Would you feel comfortable taking that picture into an interview to discuss with a hiring manager? If not, it’s better to keep it offline.

Aggressive Rants or Trolling

One of the most common threads on social media these days is opinions. EVERYONE has an opinion about everything and feel the need to share it regardless of the outcome. When you are in the professional world, you need to take into account that what you say online may affect your work life. Even with privacy settings, there are ways for your posts to be exposed. Long aggressive rants containing foul language and threats along with mean spirited trolling on others posts could come back to bite you professionally. If a customer or co-worker sees your posts and reports them to your supervisor, it could be cause for a very uncomfortable conversation when you get to work.

Also, hiring managers will bring up any aggressive behavior they see online in an interview. Keep in mind you are giving a first impression. Even if it is a one time post, you may be considered overly aggressive to a hiring manager meeting you for the first time. Overall, trolling others online for their beliefs or being overly aggressive translates in a professional setting to unwanted, aggressive behavior in the work place. It’s just better not to do it.

Political or Culturally Sensitive Posts

Piggybacking off of the previous statements about social media posts, opinions on major topics such as politics and religion should be minimized online. I am not saying you can’t express your opinion or show you are in support of someone/something politically. Just be careful of the tone you create when posting about political or culturally sensitive issues and know your intention before starting. Be sure what you are expressing is of pure nature and not just to grab attention, be demeaning or humiliate someone online. If you feel the need to address someone personally, do not do it in a public forum. Use private messages, text or call them.

This is in no way to about suppressing your freedoms, it is about being responsible for what you post as it may affect others. There have been multiple cases where an employee has posted something political or culturally insensitive online and it directly affects the company they work for. People will look at your profile to see where you work and file complaints or associate your workplace with what you said. This could open up all kinds of legal issues for the company as well as put you in a compromising position with your job. Think of the whole picture, do not be the spark that starts the fire within your company.

It is perfectly normal to have an online presence and express yourself how you wish. But just as in all aspects of life, there are boundaries you must acknowledge when you enter the professional world. Companies should have clear policies about social media use and educate their employees on company standards, however, that is not always the case. In order to keep yourself safe, think of social media from an ethical standpoint. Would this be appropriate if seen by someone in my workplace? If not, then it’s better to skip it.