Many job hunters are now feeling very uncomfortable about their social accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and twitter accounts. The new employer craze is to go online to search for applicant’s socials habits and associations before making a hiring decision. While I recommend the approach as a clever way to know the applicants, the applicants or job hunters should never give up their freedom and peace of mind to express themselves because of a job or paycheck during their job hunting process.
Chinua Achebe, the famous author of the book titled “Things Fall Apart”, once came to Kent State University when I was in graduate school around 1999 and told us a story of how the Queen of England called him and requested to use one of his poems for her coronation. He emphasized that once you have produced anything, it is no longer yours but for the world to see, even if it was hidden in a shoebox underneath a bed. Achebe was trying to teach us that you do not own what is inside of you. Your talents, joy, love, and expressions are for the benefit of the world. It is very selfish to hide your gifts within because of the fear of unemployment, loss of money, or consequences of opinions.
In my third book titled “Living with a Peace of Mind” (2006), I built on that understanding that the purpose of life is to find our destiny and serve humanity with it. Your job is meant to be just a temporary source of income until you find your destiny. I defined ones destiny in the book as what you genuinely love to do, regardless of economic conditions or economic value of the trade, that others are willing to seek you for and compensate you generously to serve them. Millions go to their graves without finding their destinies because they lacked the courage or the ability to show their gifts to the world. They allowed the fear of losing a paycheck become the reason why they never served humanity and live a much more fulfilled life.
This is the purpose of the internet and its social sites. They give us the opportunity that previous generations never had in helping us to market and showcase our gifts to the world. It could be our beauty, products, services, articles, poems, fashions, or even documentaries. In the midst of a million rejections, all you need is one breakthrough of acceptance to become a household name who serves millions of people with genuine happiness with your gifts. So have no fear about what potential employers may think, say, or do. Whatever you do online should not only be respectful and dignified, but should also represent the true desires of your soul and heart towards humanity. Remember, if an employer rejects you because of your social accounts, you most likely would not have fitted into their corporate culture and be happy anyway. So ride your social accounts online in search of your destinies.
Ehi Aimiuwu
Business Instructor, Atlanta, GA
Founder of Edofolks.com
404-323-3571
info@edofolks.com
