Should I Be Facebook Friends With My Boss?

by Angela Copeland | Feb 17, 2020 | Career Corner Column, Newsletter, Social Media

A reader recently wrote in with what is clearly an issue on the minds of professionals: social media in the workplace. In other words, should I be Facebook friends with my boss?

Today’s workforce is more casual than generations in the past. Many companies allow employees to wear jeans and tennis shoes to work. And, we’re being more open about our personal lives.

There are many advantages to this. Openness can help to move us closer from diversity to inclusion. It’s about being able to bring your entire self to work.

The digital marketer in me has made friends with colleagues on social media in the past. In the world of digital marketing, social media is part of your toolkit. It’s another way you get your job done. But, this is a rare phenomenon that doesn’t apply to many jobs. So, this takes us back at the original question. Should you follow your boss on Instagram? Should you comment on your employees tweets? And, should you connect on LinkedIn?

I may be old fashioned, but this is my take. Social media is for your family and loved ones. If a colleague is close enough, then perhaps they should be considered. But, beyond that, work should be separate.

There are many things in life that are best kept separate from work, whether it’s politics, finances, or love. Your social media life is one of those things. On top of the party photos that may appear on your Facebook wall, you may share your opinions on the current political climate. You very likely are sharing things with your close friends that are different points of views than your colleagues share.

The last thing you want is for your weekend activities to have an impact on your work. In your mind, it may make no difference. But, you never know when someone may treat you differently based on what they see in your social media. And, they’re not going to tell you.

Keeping things separated can also help to increase your perceived level of professionalism. I’m often asked to speak on topics around executive presence. Executive presence is very much related to how people perceive you at work. And, it will impact whether or not you’re promoted or thought of for more advanced work.

So, as tempting as it is to want to be friends on social media with your colleagues, think twice. There are many pitfalls to this that you may not see now. And, you may want to take it a step further. You may want to make a universal policy that you don’t friend anyone on social media who you currently work with. That way, no one person will get their feelings hurt when they realize that you’ve friended someone else, but not them.

The one exception to all of this is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an excellent way to maintain and grow your professional network.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach

Your Social Media Tattoo

by Angela Copeland | May 28, 2018 | Career Corner Column, Newsletter, Social Media

Getting a tattoo is very personal. Tattoos are permanent. They have a personal meaning that often ties back to your beliefs or your experiences. If you decide to get a tattoo, you’ll consider where the tattoo will be located. You’ll decide if you want people to see it all the time, or just some of the time, depending on which clothing will cover it.

You probably wonder where I’m going with this line of thought. I was recently asked about social media during a radio interview. How should we use it? What should we post online, and what should we keep to ourselves?

Given everything going on in the world today, what we share on social media is such a difficult and personal question. There’s no one size fits all answer. On one hand, with all of important political issues that are in the news, you may feel compelled to speak out and be heard. On the other, you may be hesitant to make waves.

Whatever you decide to share, one thing is for sure. What you post on the internet is permanent. It’s like you’re writing in permanent marketer each and every time you share.

Sometimes the things we write don’t seem permanent. Our online presence appears to be in our control. We can delete anything we add to the internet, after all.

But, don’t be fooled. There are a number of ways that everything you write online is permanent. There’s a website called the “Wayback Machine” that archives web content. It doesn’t have a copy of every site and every piece of content, but you would be surprised how much is there. Visit www.archieve.org and look up your favorite website. You’ll find that you can look at copies of the site from years ago. It’s pretty incredible.

Then, there are printouts and screen shots, and all the other ways that your posts and tweets can be memorialized without your consent.

Does this mean that you should stop tweeting? No, it doesn’t. But, it means that you want to consciously think about what you want to be known for. You want to be aware of your “online brand.”

This is especially true if you’re looking for a new job. Employers will no longer accept your resume at face value. They’ll go to Google and search for your name. They will look at all of the content that pops up, whether it’s text or photos. And, sadly, they will judge you. That’s a part of the modern day life we’re living.

Again, there’s no right answer to this question. What you choose to share is up to you. But, remember, the content you share online is an internet tattoo that will follow you long after you outgrow it.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach