Before the despicable death of George Floyd in May, Homewood police officer Jon Newland posted a video to his Instagram. That video resulted in Newland being suspended and demoted.

What was so bad about it?

Well, in the video, Newland rapped “my ways are a blaze of mysterious smoke, around your neck I flex this choke.”

Again, this was posted before George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers.  So, it in no way makes a mockery of that incident.

However, the fact that Newland is an officer of the law, the lyrics-- which he says are from a song he’s been working on with his brother – can be perceived as an abuse of power, though Homewood police Sgt. John Carr said Newland was not on duty when the video was posted. Nor was he “representing himself as a Homewood Police officer in any official capacity.” Source.

This just goes to show how simple it is for our lives as citizens can have an effect on our professional lives. Officer Newland was sharing his personal music with his followers, but that one post cost him.

Such is the case with other employers.  The very reason job interviews take place is not only to determine the applicant’s skill level, but they also give the employer an opportunity to give a feel for the applicant and whether the person would be a good representative of the company’s culture and values.

Think about what you share on social media.  Though it represents who YOU are, would your employer be embarrassed by it? Just a little something to ponder.

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