The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Are American workers embarrassed by their social media? According to a new study, the majority enable privacy settings to keep their digital presence private from their boss. Roughly 40-percent say they have some degree of privacy set up to avoid their employer and coworkers, and an additional 40-percent admit to going so far as to establish a separate alias account just for close friends and family.
So what are they trying to conceal? The platform most people want to keep hidden is their Facebook, followed by their Twitter, and Instagram. Most people say they’re trying to conceal their personal lives from the prying eyes of both present and future employers, and don’t want their photos and videos, and written posts and statuses to be seen by professional cohorts. More than half say they’re trying to conceal “unprofessional” behavior by enabling these privacy settings, and 44-percent say they’re trying to conceal their political views.
To make sure their digital footprint leaves a positive and professional impression, roughly half of people say they’ve entered their own name into a search engine to see what appears and have then taken further steps to conceal their social media. But not all social media is worthy of concealment. Respondents say they’re post likely to take proactive, posturing steps on their LinkedIn while pursuing a new job. The most common ways of doing so are following relevant industry publications and businesses, liking relevant posts, and sharing professional content on the platform.
![Study: How Job Seekers Curate Their Social Presence [Infographic]](https://cdn.confessionsoftheprofessions.com/media/2019/08/blog-social.jpg "Study: How Job Seekers Curate Their Social Presence [Infographic]")
