Your digital footprint could affect your digital print. For example, when you are applying for a new job, there is a 99% chance that your boss or employer will search your name on almost every social media platform. If there is anything suspicious or fishy, chances are they will not consider hiring you. The reason for this is that nowadays, there are many people that bully others online and it will usually go unnoticed because the suspect is behind a screen. But now with new technology, employers are finding new ways to find out if their possible future employee has done anything suspicious both online and in person.
For example, if you want to be an MLB player (which is what I want to do) you must be known as a nice person online. If I make a post on Instagram dissing another player on another team, scouts will most likely find that post when searching my name on the web and chances are, I won’t stand a very good chance of playing for that team. But, if I were to make a positive post on social media, that would most likely be to my advantage. This goes to show that your digital footprint can be used in a negative and positive way.
Another example is that if you were to apply for a social media management position, you are required to have some sort of online or social media background. For instance, you need to know how to log into different Instagram accounts or know how to delete your TikTok account. If you were to have a bunch of inappropriate TikTok on your account, it will probably not help you with your wanting of a job. So, when applying for a job, I highly recommend making sure to clear out or at least check your social media accounts because I guarantee you that your boss/employer will check it out.
Although there are many ways to keep your digital footprint safe, I am going to mention some of the more important things to do. The first and probably the most important one is updating and consistently checking your social media accounts. If you were to get hacked, spammed, or get inappropriate messages, you can act quickly and either delete your account or take the necessary actions to protect your account. If you don’t regularly check your social media accounts, and your employer checks them out, the chances of getting the job are slim. Even if you say that it wasn’t you or you were hacked, they won’t take your word for it and will most likely move on to the next application.
Another reason that your digital footprint could affect your future career opportunities is if your social media accounts show certain things against the company’s tradition. For example, if the company doesn’t like people who wear Nike shoes, and they see that you are wearing Nike shoes in your recent Instagram post or TikTok video, they may automatically say that you are not a good fit for the company. So, if you want to make a good impression on your future boss, make sure that you are always updating and checking the company’s likes and dislikes.
When you are talking to someone online, you must look out for certain red flags. Some of these could be that they are repeating certain words or sentences, sending fishy images of “themselves” and not doing things a real person would do. Some of the warnings could be that they are not picking up phone calls or they don’t have many followers or friends. Always make sure that you are 100% percent sure before even adding them back because once they have access to your account, that could be when trouble starts. They need to be able to do things such as prove that they are a real person. If they don’t, make sure that you are blocking and reporting them because the longer they have you added, the more possible chance of bad things happening to your account.
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1st photo : https://www.google.com/search?q=why+we+won%27t+hire+you&sxsrf=ALiCzsbfkgVaigllhD_ZP7Kv-tW_nfLocQ:1663772389411&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_44eSk6b6AhUUJn0KHUjECqkQ_AUoA3oECAEQBQ&biw=1680&bih=939&dpr=2#imgrc=9v497GGQ7HtH-M
2nd photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+make+it+into+the+mlb&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwifwq-Tk6b6AhUfHDQIHRQpCe8Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=how+to+make+it+into+the+mlb&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQGDoECCMQJzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoFCAAQgAQ6CAgAEIAEELEDOgQIABADOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToECAAQQzoGCAAQChAYUMIJWPRJYMFKaAVwAHgAgAFpiAH5DpIBBDMxLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ7ABCsABAQ&sclient=img&ei=6CYrY5-uCZ-40PEPlNKk-A4&bih=939&biw=1680#imgrc=QqvV8cSkN1RlqM
3rd photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=social+media&sxsrf=ALiCzsZ-YPiy6Chw1skLLs2T2uij8b4pWQ:1663773124255&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKiLvwlab6AhVzBjQIHZqJC_oQ_AUoAXoECAMQAw&biw=1680&bih=882&dpr=2#imgrc=vTNf6B7nzssz9M
4th photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=hacked&sxsrf=ALiCzsbFYyBTu5btKQU7jxz4VMieEJzm9g:1663773160094&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwilxcaBlqb6AhUiAzQIHZAlDOEQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1680&bih=882&dpr=2#imgrc=SVtD-XdzDqhyeM
5th photo: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/how-to-block-or-report-cyberbullies-on-snapchat
6th photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=fake+person&sxsrf=ALiCzsY-WB30LYze6RJ56JkwqkhbHHSVZg:1663773229929&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJ_Oyilqb6AhUpAzQIHWe_AJcQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1680&bih=882&dpr=2#imgrc=IcDwHTO14fMCmM