What is it with people and their Facebook rants anyway? As a former career coach, I have explained to people – over and over – to NEVER, EVER say nasty things about others on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform. In fact, I’m pretty sure that my standard advice is to never say anything nasty, period. At all. I wrote about this pretty extensively here on this very site in this career advice article.
But there ya go. Yet another disgruntled person posted something about how she “wished” to get fired. Wow. So, I guess the boss saw it and pretty much said, “Fine. You’re wish is my command. You’re done here bucko.” The person was fired, thanks to that great post on Facebook.
How is it even remotely possible that people are still being so naive about this? Do they still honestly think they can continue writing stuff like this on public sites and expect to advance in their careers?
Or, since I’m on the subject, and on my own rant, how about people who use cuss words in their posts and updates? I may be old-fashioned… no. Strike that. I AM old-fashioned. Old-fashioned in the sense that I still believe that certain things are “right” and certain things are “wrong” when it comes to manners, and I think that displaying good manners in social media forums is wise. Not just for keeping our jobs, but for keeping our self-respect as well.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t voice opinions – I’m just saying that we should be polite and civil. Save the arguments for when you meet up with someone in private.
Frankly, I don’t blame the boss. If I were a boss and saw my employee say that in public, I’d fire her or him as well.
Although I have an account on Facebook, I’m not terribly active on the platform (note: I do have a page these days on Facebook for one of my companion sites. I’d love to see you over there! Personal Transformation With CASedge) . It makes me cringe when I see posts that bash other people’s religious or political beliefs. I kind of look at Facebook as a cocktail party gone bad – where, instead of refraining from talking about sports, politics and religion, that’s ALL some people tend to talk about without considering the audience. And, when it comes to maintaining a professional profile if you want to get or keep a job, it really is best to avoid certain topics.
A good rule of thumb might be to consider whether or not you would be ok if your boss (or your mother or father) were to read your post.
Another good rule of thumb before posting something is to consider the classic “4-way test” made famous by the Rotary Club:
1. “Is it the truth?”
2. “Is it fair to all concerned?”
3. “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?”
4. “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
So, even if the boss IS a jerk (the “truth” in someone’s mind), I’m guessing that saying so in a public forum probably doesn’t meet the criteria for the other 4 statements.
Obviously, it’s a free country, and someone can say whatever he or she wants – but, just remember that as much as we have the right to say as we please, others have the right to react to it as THEY please.
So, if you want to 1) GET a job, or 2) KEEP a job, or 3) ADVANCE in a job, then a great place to begin is by being more careful about you post or say out loud.