Social media has become ingrained in our daily lives over the last 10 years. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can all be accessed on our mobile devices via applications. Whether you use a smartphone, a tablet or a desktop/laptop computer, we can always access social media networks. We post our thoughts, our fears, our comments, our opinions, our schedules and much more on these sites. As a working professional, you need to watch what you say on these sites or it can doom your career.

Never, EVER Talk About Your Employer

Unless you are raving about your employer on social media, be sure never to mention their name. Making inappropriate posts about your employer or constantly complaining about them could lead to you receiving a pink slip from the boss. To make things easy on you, refrain from saying anything about your employer on social media, even if it is good. The reason for this is that you might think it is innocent, but you could be breaking a non-disclosure agreement you signed with the company when hired.

Refrain from Inappropriate Content

All of your posts on social media need to be clean and free of inappropriate content. Inappropriate content includes foul language, derogatory remarks about other people, pictures or videos that contain you consuming alcohol or drugs and much more. Even if you already have a job, you need to spend time cleaning up your social media profiles of any and all inappropriate content. You could possibly lose a job over inappropriate posts because even though you might not be at work when the posts are made, you still represent the company to the public.

Never Lie or Tell Stories

One of the biggest issues people come across on social media these days, specifically LinkedIn, is that they have lied about their past. Even though you might think you are telling a little white lie, it will come back to bite you. Employers can perform a simple background check to find out which degrees you have earned, from which schools and for which companies you have worked during your career.

Avoid Posting about Crimes

We have all seen those television specials about the dumbest criminals out there. Well, make sure you do not become featured on one of those shows by posting about a crime you have committed on your social media profiles. Even if it is a petty crime, you should never discuss it with friends or acquaintances on social media. This will only hurt your chances of holding a job and it could even lead to your arrest.

Avoid Talking abouts Risk-Taking

If you enjoy going hang gliding, or love to smoke one cigar per day, refrain from posting these hobbies on your social media accounts. Why? Insurers are beginning to research those they insure on social media sites, much like employers do so with job candidates and current employees. So, if you lied about being a smoker on an insurance policy, do not broadcast it on your social media site that you enjoyed a cigar today.
The bottom line here is that you need to be very careful when crafting your statuses on social media or else you could find yourself in a heap of trouble.