What have you seen nannies and au pairs post on social media that would turn off a potential employer?Yesterday we discussed what you should never post on the Internet about the children you care for at your nanny or au pair job. Today we list information you should never post on social media about yourself.
With the presidential election only a few weeks away what shocks me most is when I see nannies that are unemployed posting radical images and comments about politics. Even if a potential employer will be voting for the same presidential candidate as you, when the google your name they should only find positive comments and professional images of you as a caregiver. Parents don't want to see that a potential caregiver of their children spends their time sharing hateful images or comments about politics, or any topic, when they google your name.
You also want employers see appropriate photos of you online. I recommend not posting suggestive photos of yourself on the Internet. Photos of with friends and family are fine to post on Facebook and Twitter, but I don't think posting images of partying creates a positive image of anyone to any future employer.
Of course, there are safety issues regarding identity theft and not giving clues to potential burglars to rob your home to avoid online as well.
Here is my list of what not to post on social media that I’ve seen in articles by others over the past few years:
- Don’t post issues you have with your job or complaints about your boss
- Don’t post seductive photos or images of partying which may turn off potential employers
- Don’t post extreme views on race, religion, or politics
- Don’t link personal sites to professional business sites like LinkedIn
- Don't post your street address as it is an invitation to burglars
- Don’t post answers that are used as security questions or passwords online or for your bank, utilities, or other personal accounts such as: your place of birth, your mother's maiden name, the name of your first pet, what street you grew up on, and so on
- Don’t post financial information such as how much money you make
- Don’t post when you are leaving on a vacation
- Don’t post your daily schedule because burglars have been known to use these little hints to their advantage
- Don’t post any information about court dates or if you are being sued as that can be used against you in court or in legal issues
4 comments:
Always think what will the parents see before posting or saying anything on facebook. I don't want any parent seeing me drunk, on drugs, partying too hard, or see that I've been commenting on blogs all day about politics.
This is a great article for nannies. I totally agree. I just want to add that when posting a picture on any online babysitting or nanny service, nannies should use a clear photo from the waist or shoulders up. Full length photos are too far away; parents want to be able to see a potential nanny's face. Also, the nanny should be the only one in the picture (unless it is a picture of the nanny with children). Parents shouldn't have to figure out which person in the photo is the nanny. And finally, nannies should use a simple photo of themselves smiling - no duck lips or peace signs. You made a lot of good points. Thanks for posting such a great article.
I am so tired of religious and political comments on Facebook. What parent in their right mind would hire someone who has the pope or political ad as their profile picture?
The worst thing you can do is friend parents on facebook that you haven't met. I saw on care.com once that you can choose to friend parents on facebook and I think that is very dangerous. The parents on nanny web sites are strangers. Never ever do that!
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