How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities?
Today, many employers now do a detailed and thorough online background check for all applicants. This check includes an in-depth search of all past and present activity on social media. This plays a huge role in your probability and eligibility for the job.
In 2015, when the Federal Liberal party of Canada was running for election, a 21 year old MP was led to step down because of offensive tweets she posted on her Twitter account as a teen. When the tweets were discovered, she publicly apologized.
This is a perfect example of having to be cautious of your digital footprint. Something you think is no big deal that no one will care about can make a huge impact later in your life, way more than you would think at the time.
Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.
Keeping a positive digital footprint is pretty simple. The most important strategy to doing so is just taking a moment to think before you post or share something online. Think, is your post hurtful, necessary, could set a bad impression of yourself? If you make a hasty decision without reflecting on it, you could end up regretting it later.
Another strategy that helps you maintain a safe digital footprint would be making your accounts private. The majority of social media services offer this. I think social media is a great way of interacting and sharing with friends and family, and can also be used as a great tool for educational purposes. But you don’t always want anyone and everyone seeing everything about you. I think that putting some privacy settings in place to control who views your shared content is a good way to keep things safe online.
And lastly, just be yourself online. When you’re behind a screen, people can feel a sense of power. Just don’t do anything you wouldn’t do or say in real life. When you’re behind a screen, people can feel a sense of power. Just always take a moment before you do something online, because once you hit send, it can’t be taken back.
What information did you learn that you would pass on to other students? How would you go about telling them?
I’ve learned about what impact your digital footprint can make. For other people, it’s like a representation of who you are, and if it’s negative it can put a really bad impression on them. Especially if it’s am employer.
It shows you that you need to be cautious about what you’re doing online, whatever it may be. So, if I were to pass that information onto other students, I would tell them just to always think before you do anything online.
Photo Sources:
https://talesfromthevalley.co/2016/08/08/day-5-7-applying-to-jobs/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-ala-buzreba-tweets-1.3195193