My life on social media is that of a meme lord and very much in contrast to my position in my organization. I have had countless testimonies about how my WhatsApp timeline brings relief to them, most especially when they've had a really exhausting day. Those testimonies were often heartwarming for me, knowing I had eased tension and stress in the lives of my viewers.
But my organization is rather formal, expecting me to live by standards of a formal lifestyle representation both when I'm at my duty post and when I am not. I am, however, an individual you cannot judge by my posts on social media. My posts sometimes cause reactions that, yet, do not mean such are my positions or perspectives to what was posted, even though I try to post within the limit of reasonable societal acceptance.
It is funny how social media perceives and judges individuals based on their social media posts, a misconception or jump to conclusions, but hey, I agree the individual should also be responsible for what is posted. We are unable to control the perception of viewers about us, but we have control over what we throw out there on social media, which ultimately predisposes how viewers see us.
Job recruiters and human resources managers often go beyond the physical representation of an individual to look into the individual's lifestyle, especially on social media. This, I believe, they do so that they can ascertain the prospective employee has a credible social profile and would not bring disgrace to the organization. I know that in Nigeria, we are good at digging into the past of individuals and realigning such with the individual's present.
Many people have said or done things in the past, probably as a result of youthful exuberance or the fun of it, and which they probably forgot to erase on social media or were exposed by others. It is not unusual to find past posts of individuals being reposted for evaluation. The trend of an individual's life can be summed up in what he may have become over the years.
Fortunately and unfortunately, recruiters are often strict while screening and evaluating prospective candidates, and while it is good to relate events of the past of an individual's life, such should not suffice to draw a conclusion about the individual's current lifestyle position even though inferences can be drawn. This is most vital when social media life does not cause or pose harm or damage to the organization.
I strongly believe a balance should be reached, understanding that an individual cannot be rigid in his lifestyle yet not have characters or behaviors that can damage an organization. With a social media presence and a past of no scandalous or shameful acts, prospective or already employed individuals should be able to comfortably submit their social media handles. Who knows, some humor or talents, such as dancing or marketing strategies, can be found beyond the veil of the employee.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.
