bossip.com
In addition to writing for Madame Noire, I also work as a publicist for Prioritybooks Publications. (Which by the way, check out “Escape from a Nightmare” from Stephanie Akon, oh my GOODNESS, that’s a good book!) As a publicist I know how important an image is to a person and a company. There used to be such a hush-hush aspect to celebrity life, but as the advancement of technology has arisen, we’re beginning to see the true human nature of our favorite celebrities. And in our society’s aspect of hero worship, people have begun to follow the examples of their favorite stars and share their feelings about any and everything on social media outlets. However, those actions have lead to a loss of revenue for said celebrities, fines, and lost endorsements.
But to you, dear reader, it could cost you even more than you realize. Please know that you are a brand and with every brand you need to take care of what things you associate yourself with, and what you actually say on sites like Facebook and Twitter, because it can cost you a job or your reputation. So, here are tips to keep you from ruining your brand:
Censor yourself
I understand, you’re mad and you want the world to know how pissed off your boss made you. However, fast forward a few years and you’re looking for jobs. A potential employer sees your resume, gets interested, Google or Bings you and finds your twitter tirade. (“She sure did use a lot of expletives in under 140 characters…”) Just know that if you bashed one job, another employer will think that you’d do the same thing to their company. So, to protect their brand, they reject yours.
If you feel that angry about things and you feel like letting the world know, say a veiled comment like: ”So annoyed right now…” or “This has been the most aggravating day I’ve had in a minute…” I’m not telling you to not be true to yourself, but don’t ruin your prospects by keeping it too real.
Get rid of those partying pictures
For those who go on a celebrity’s twitter page and see that shot that so many have of them looking at the camera while smoke wafts in front of their face and think: ”That’s a cool pose.” Just think it, don’t recreate it. There have been a number of people who have lost their jobs because there was an old photo of themselves drinking, doing a keg stand, smoking, or just acting crazy. You don’t have to get rid of those pictures, but keep them on your computer, not on the internet.
Beware of your work email address
In a 2008 issue of Glamour magazine, Ivanka Trump told a story about a time that her friend sent her a joking email to her job’s email address. Ivanka explained how she went off on her friend because work emails can be surveillanced. If an employer reads an email that your friend sent you about something inappropriate, it could lead to you being fired. Try to keep your work email professional, and save all the crazy emails for your personal address.
Check your own past
I joined Facebook in 2005, and at that time, there were groups to join and create. My college friends and I made and joined a bunch of crazy groups, and it was funny. Fast forward to a few years ago and I decided to take a skip down memory lane and came across the same groups. They were great for college, but not so great being a college graduate and looking for gainful employment. Look in your past and make sure there’s nothing there would make you look bad now.
Be careful who you check/ If you can’t say anything nice…
Who can forget season 2 of Real Housewives of Atlanta when Sheree had the argument with her party planner over her independence party? When the conversation began to get heated, he tells her: ”You need to be careful who you talk to before you get checked.” Then Sheree’s line that has been immortalized in my head: ”Who gon’ check me, Boo?” As great of TV as that was and as many interviews the party planner received, I honestly can’t imagine that it would have been too good for business. If his business is still thriving, he is lucky. Disagreements are bound to happen in a work environment, but arguments and threats are optional. If word gets out about a way you handled a client or boss, it could lead to people being hesitant to work with you.
Don’t brag about your shortcomings
As much as I love rap and Hip Hop music, there’s a sense of misunderstanding that I seem to see with some of the listeners. The rapper might brag about his sexual exploits, or drug usage/sell-age, and slapping up women (or hos, as we’re so respectfully acknowledged as sometimes), but when a normal person does this, and it’s not to music, it comes off looking extremely bad. We all know that everyone has a past, but when you seem proud of the bad things you’ve done, aside from being remorseful, it comes off very prideful and immature. People love success stories, and if you show that you’ve overcame those shortcomings, you’ll be able to gain respect for it.
Remember that’s it’s easier for a celebrity to rebuild a reputation than you to build one up from scratch. Start it off right.
Check out more tips on different paths of life from Finding the Right Path. Follow Kendra Koger @kkoger.
