Canada Day weekend is on the horizon. It’s one of our favourite weekends to cut loose and celebrate our beautiful country and all of its blessings.
Whether you go away to a cottage or camping, or you’re in the city for fireworks, Canada Day often involves a lot of drinking and silliness too. If you’re career-minded, this is a good time for a reminder about that dangerous mix that can ruin reputations overnight. Yes, I mean drinking and social media. For responsible adults, drinking and social media don’t mix. Stay mindful of your personal and professional boundaries.
The internet is rich with stories and pictures of social media gone bad – career ending stories abound. Be judicious with your picture taking if you’re partying. And if you’re partying, wait until morning to decide if you still want to post on social media.
If you aren’t sure you can control yourself, or there is someone young and impulsive in your life who might need this kind of tool, there are numerous Android and iPhone apps to prevent drunk texting, drunk dialling and drunken posts.
While we’re on the subject of good times, as Canada moves toward legalizing marijuana, it would be naïve to think that weed can ever mix with work. If you’re in the presence of pot smokers, the same rules apply – no pictures or videos, please.
Here are a few more reminders about the good and bad ways to use social media, from a career coach’s perspective.
Don’t Quit Your Day Job … Online
If your favourite movies include “Office Space” and “Fight Club,” you’ve probably imagined staging some dramatic quitting scenes of your own. Maybe you’ve been tempted to Tweet the words “Resignation Day” and make it real.
The thing that is missing from these older movies is the impact that those resignations would have in today’s interconnected world. Today, social media makes it easy to quit your job in a way that’s very public and is easily shared far and wide within your industry or profession. This didn’t exist when Jerry McGuire shouted: “Who’s coming with me?!” Social media presents new consequences.
Here are some reminders of some basic rules for talking about work-related issues online, from the March 2017 post about “Colin’s last day of work.”
1. Don’t text, Tweet or post about personal issues within your profession unless it’s to promote the business or compliment the people you work with or for.
2. Keep in mind, that if you decide to ignore Rule #1 and share everything online, be prepared that it will be seen indiscriminately. You can never predict or manage who will view your status updates.
3. If you plan to resign from a job and really don’t care what the boss or overall establishment thinks about you, think again. Just because you won’t have to answer to them doesn’t mean they don’t have connections. They also have the ability to use their own social media channels to return the not-so-complimentary favour.
- Finally, always be classy and humble online, especially when it comes to work-related issues. Even in the most frustrating times where injustices at the office happen daily, stay calm. Try to take deep breaths and think of ways to solve this problem tactfully and proactively with real actions and words. Resist shouting into a virtual space.
With all that said, Happy Canada Day to Canadians everywhere! Have a fabulous long weekend. Fingers crossed for sunshine.
Do you need help navigating the world of work? Contact Dr. Helen today for a free and confidential initial consultation by phone, email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Have you ever wished you could get inside the head of a hiring manager? You can. Dr. Helen Ofosu is a Career Coach/Counsellor with a difference. She has worked for organizations to create hiring and screening tools. She’s created countless pre-screening tests, interviews, simulations, and role plays for organizations of all kinds.
Dr. Helen’s training in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology means she is a genuine expert in evaluating work-related behaviours. She uses those skills to help hiring managers tell the difference between people who say the right things during interviews and people who actually deliver on the job. In other words, Dr. Helen understands first-hand how job candidates are assessed.
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