Keep a Professional Image On Social Media
Used improperly, social media can lead to losing friends, keep you from landing nanny jobs, to being terminated from a nanny position, and even identity theft.
I have had dozens of friends act dumbfounded when something nasty or inappropriate they wrote or posted on Facebook comes back to bite them. It’s amazing that so many adults are lulled into a false sense of privacy simply because they try to use privacy settings or post in “closed” groups online and post something nasty about their employers. The reality is everything posted on the Internet might be seen by employers or criminals.
1. Google search and Incognito Google search your name and nicknames.
2. Remove photos of yourself if they show you using alcohol or under the influence, that show sexual behavior, nudity, or lewd hand gestures.
3. Review any negative statuses, tweets, or blog posts you may have posted or commented on.
4. Unfriend anyone you inadvertently accepted requests from or don’t interact with.
5. Remove personal information criminals can use to steal your identity.
6. Consider using social media cleansing websites like Scrubber, Rep’nUp, or ReputationDefender.
7. It may just be easier to delete your accounts and start over.
We will discuss how to clean up any negative social media presence of yourself but you can always use a social media cleansing service as well. If you have a huge social media presence you may want to consider using websites like Scrubber, Rep’nUp, and Reputation Defender.
It’s essential to check your social media presence before looking for a new job. The first thing potential employers will do before interviewing you is Google your name and nicknames. Do an incognito Google search of your name as well to see what the results are. You can open an incognito browser on your phone or computer. Open an incognito tab in Chrome by clicking the three vertical dots or horizontal lines in the top right corner of your browser and selecting “open an incognito tab.” On a phone, you can often select the icon that looks like two sheets of paper or two rectangles on top of each other. Once you select that, you can enter into “private mode.”
Nannies do lose jobs from photos posted and comments made on social media in every career field but parents are particularly sensitive to hiring conservative nannies.
Remove photos of yourself if they show you using alcohol or under the influence, that show sexual behavior, nudity, or lewd hand gestures. If you did not personally post a picture, you may need to request removal either from the social media site or from the person who posted it. You can untag these photos so that they don’t show up on your personal pages, but be aware that these images will still be online unless you get them removed. Make sure to let friends and family know that you do not wish to be tagged in any photos.
Potential employers and and current bosses don’t look favorably of flaming, bullying, or criticism by their employees towards others online.
Review any negative statuses, tweets, or blog posts you may have posted or commented on. I highly recommend removing anything negatively related to religion, politics, sex, or drugs. Although it’s okay to have an opinion, negative ones can come off as being aggressive and insulting towards others. Remove any sexist, racist, or homophobic posts or comments.
There are true dangers about criticizing or gossiping about your employers on “closed” nanny support groups on Facebook. Many members of these groups have a false impression that social media groups are anonymous or private. You may know a few people in those groups, but there are literally hundred and thousands more members that you don’t know. Asking for general advice about child care, contract negotiations, and general nanny job issues in these groups can be very helpful. But be careful about venting or complaining about the people you work or care for anywhere online.
Also take look at your friends lists to make sure you haven’t inadvertently accepted requests from people you don’t know. Unfriend anyone you don’t really interact with.
My bank recently warned their customers to clean up their social media. The reason is that social media is often mined for identity theft data. You certainly don’t want anyone to access your personal information that you don’t know or trust. For example, although it is fun to get hundreds of birthday wishes from friends on Facebook, you shouldn’t publicly list your birthdate for criminals to use to steal your identity. Don’t post your address, contact information (other than an email address), when you are traveling and away from home on social media.
Alternatively, if you discover you have made too many mistakes posting on social media in the past it may just be easier to delete your accounts and start over.
Protect your professional image and your current job, potential jobs, and personal safety by being cautious about what you post on social media.
References:
bethebestnanny.com 
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