Social Media can be used for personal & professional reasons, each type has a different set of psychological triggers that accompany them.

There are different types of emotions that each kind of account can convey.

When using personal networks, individuals tend to expect entertainment, whereas when using professional networks, individuals are more interested in making connections and have a greater drive to achieve success.

Naturally, a lot people attempt to keep individual and professional Social Media accounts divided. But what do you do when your organization needs you to remove that distinction?

Many people claim that it is unethical for any company to demand this of you. But at the same time, if you have already accumulated a sizeable following or personal brand on your own social media platforms, then the requests are not really that inappropriate. In this case, it may make sense to share your organization’s work on your private platforms.

The Pros of Mixing Organizational and Personal Social Media Accounts

A company could offer great incentives for using this approach. People frequently take many years to build a strong network of friends, and require even more energy to build up their friends’ respect and trust. Some individuals also have very strong clout and have the innate capacity and charisma to influence their social circles. Some people believe that these kinds of individuals deserve the extra reward that their company can provide for them.

After all, if your personal existing social media community would reap the benefits of knowing about the organization you work for, why not let them know about it? This can be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

The Cons

Other people believe that Social Media profile information should remain totally isolated from their work accounts. Period. They believe that most companies have become so ruthless with their marketing strategies, that presenting personal friends with corporate visions may cause the trust and influence that one has worked so hard to develop, to become quickly eroded.

Keeping your private social media community consistent with your own private brand and continuously adding value to it should always be your first line of duty. As soon as one starts to sell to the community, friends may start running away and value you less.

Solution

All people with well-developed private social media audiences who are interested in applying for a new job, need to inquire upfront about whether their prospective company has a vested interest in their private network.

This should already be asked during the interview.

Carving out any unclear anticipations of the employer is something that needs to be added to every recruitment procedure beforehand – to clarify all expectations.

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