If you’re a young adult, social media is likely part of your DNA. It’s how you follow and/or connect with friends, peers, influencers, celebrities, experts and news sources. And if you’re active on social media, then there’s a good chance you’ve shared information about yourself on platforms such as X, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and others.

The Implications of Sharing Online
These days, most hiring managers search online for information about candidates. It’s a way for them to get a fuller picture of an applicant — to get a sense of their experience, interests and the way they present themselves.
While social media can provide a sense of community, connection and support — especially for people with cancer — it’s important to know that what is shared online becomes public, and therefore visible to people whom you don’t know and perhaps never imagined meeting. Every social media post you make becomes part of your “online brand” and could come up in a search of your name on the Internet, including by a potential employer.

If you’re comfortable sharing personal information about yourself — including your diagnosis, treatment and prognosis — that’s fine, as disclosure is a very personal choice. But it’s important to be aware of how information regarding your health may be received by someone who is evaluating your application for a job or by someone you work with. It’s possible they’ll misinterpret things they read, and draw a conclusion about your ability to handle a specific role and the tasks it involves.

If you’ve already shared news of your diagnosis and treatment online, that information is out there, and while it’s not possible to completely remove it from the internet, there are steps you can take to minimize the chances of a future manager seeing it.

How to Minimize the Risk of Unintended Disclosure
The first thing you’ll want to do is an online search to see what comes up – this includes Google, Bing, and Yahoo as well as any other search engines that may be utilized. And do so from all your devices (e.g., laptop, mobile phone, tablet), since results can vary. If information that you hadn’t intended to be so public is easily accessible, you can try to counter that with other, non-health-related content.

For example, comment on someone else’s post related to your field of interest or start to follow a subject-matter expert and react to what they have to say. Doing this has two benefits — one, it helps to “bury” your earlier content, and two, it shows that you’re engaged in what’s happening in the sector you want to go into and how you express yourself.

You can also become active in online communities, such as an alumni group (if you’ve graduated from college) or a group that focuses on a favorite hobby of yours. The more recent content you generate from your different social media accounts, the less likely it is that your older posts will come up at the top of search results.

Another way to prevent potential hiring managers from learning things about you that you’d prefer they didn’t know is to carefully consider what you post before you post it. It may sound obvious, but sometimes we feel the urge to comment or offer up information immediately, and we don’t take the time to think about how others might interpret it or how we might feel after some time passes.

Next time you’re about to post something, take a moment to re-read it and ask yourself, “Is this something I’m fully prepared to share publicly — with anyone? Would I want a future boss or coworkers to know this about me?” Pausing and reflecting on what you’re about to put out into the world and the fact that you will likely never be able to fully delete it at a later date can help avoid unintended disclosure of very personal information and can help your online brand be more intentional.

Again, even if you’ve been open about your health situation up until this point, you may want to consider your preferences going forward and adjust however meets your needs.

For more on privacy and social media, check out our section on Your Online Footprint. If you’re facing a situation in which a prospective employer asks, or may ask, about something they have found online check out how to utilize the verbal technique The Swivel to help redirect the conversation and feel more confident.

Updated 2024