Privacy Inc?
Several years ago when I started in eCommerce, it was "forbidden" for employers to review and take into consideration someone's social media profile. Back then it was MySpace. Now, I've noticed applications asking for your 1. Website 2. Social Media profile 3. a picture. I had someone apply and include a picture way back when and I thought "wow, that's cool" so when it came time for me to apply, I included a picture. My executive sister saw it and blasted me, telling me to remove it immediately because it could cause a lawsuit. SOOOOOO confusing. SO.... what's changed? Should I make my profiles private? It's all my family life with my daughters, but what if they see something they LIKE? What's the consensus out there on this kind of thing?
Hi Travis. This is a great issue. Like you, many of the jobs I'm applying for seek your website URL, portfolio URL and social media profiles. My rule of thumb is to provide only those social media profiles that will place me in the best professional light. Personally, I keep my Facebook private for friends (even though I share some engaging professional content there) and provide LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest profiles since they contain the most content of interest to a prospective employer. As for the picture, nowadays employers want to see pics in your LinkedIn profile at least since it is part of the professional presentation on LinkedIn. However, I don't voluntarily supply my picture. They will be able to find it if they want to view my LInkedIn profile and website. However, your sister does have a point. Some companies (especially large corporations) are very atuned to risk. Providing your unsolicited photo with a resume could automatically exclude you for fear they would be profiling in the interview process based on what you look like. They do not want any potential lawsuits based on the fact that they are interviewing only particular groups of the population based on gender, race, age, etc. So, I'd recommend keeping your picture off the resume and include it in your personal website or social media profiles. As for the social media profiles, if you are using a channel for both personal and professional content, be aware that while they may find great content there that would be in your favor, if they see even one post they find concerning or objectionable it might be a reason for them to exclude you. What's objectionable? That will depend on the interviewer and you have no way of knowing...So I'd play it safe and only includes those social media channels you are confident will present you in a good light. Just my two cents.