Life Is A Job Interview: How Posting “TGIF!” On Facebook Can Cost You

You already know you shouldn’t put your wild party photos on Facebook, and if you do (but please don’t) you should put them on the highest privacy settings. But that’s not the only pitfall to broadcasting your life on social media. Diane Gayeski, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, and an expert in social media and corporate communications, is frequently “friended” by former students on Facebook. “What I too often see is comments like, ‘Oh, I can’t stand work today’ or ‘I can’t wait ‘til the weekend, this job sucks,’” she told me. If that sounds harmless to you, read on.

Where beer-pong photos make you look like a dimwitted lush — even if you’re just letting a little loose after a demanding week at work — posting seemingly mild gripes about your work day can make you look lazy and whiny. That’s especially true if you do it often. Here’s how to avoid that trap.

“What people don’t understand is that not only are employers are following them, but people they want to use as references,” Gayeksi explained. “It’s so easy to say, ‘Tough day at work’ or ‘This is boring’ or ‘These people are idiots.’ But potential employers and potential grad schools absolutely will go back and do searches on Facebook and Twitter.”

And what will they think when they see a stream of seemingly harmless “TGIF!” posts? “That portrays someone dissatisfied, unmotivated, and a whiner.”

Ouch!

“People will typically know not to post pictures of wild parties,” Gayeksi said. “But they don’t understand how they’re portraying themselves — they look like they absolutely hate work. Especially when they post during work!”

If a future reference sees that you’re constantly counting the minutes to 5 pm, or complaining about the job they helped you land, they’re going to reluctant to help you in the future. One of Gayeski’s former students recently complained on Facebook that she’s having trouble finding a job, so her education is “worthless” and she wants a refund. Take a guess about how excited Gayeski will be to provide a reference for her.

We often forget who we’ve agreed to “friend,” she added. “When you’re on social media, think of it as thought it could appear as a headline in the newspaper.” If you’re desperate to commiserate — which is only natural! — she says it’s safer to use email, IM, or another direct form of communication. Though there’s always a slim risk your correspondent could share your complaints with the world, it’s unlikely. But there’s one almost foolproof way to assure your complaints stay private: Share them with friends over a game of beer pong.