By: Mario Marcurio
After some long conversations with people I truly trust, some very good points were made for and against the way I used to communicate on social media. These are my former mentors and leaders. People whose opinion I truly value, so it wasn’t a hard pill to swallow. There are things we can always approve upon and I truly believe we don’t fail we only learn. There are a few groups/networks that have brought the way Travel Nurses and Recruiters communicate a long way in a short time, but like Paula Abdul said we can’t keep taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. (Yes, I quoted a Paula Abdul song). I have listed some tips/tricks below and maybe like me you can learn from my past mistakes.
1. What’s your point? Although being open and honest while educating people is the ultimate goal we can always soften our delivery. Being straightforward and to the point can come off as brash and condescending. (I am pointing the finger at myself right now). Shorter answers or posts can be left to interpretation. Try to give a little more detail or color to that post that may be disagreeing with someone or pointing out those facts that would support your point and not theirs. When having those professional conversations try and state facts not opinions. If you are going to post an opinion, you better place an IMO in front, so you don’t get destroyed for posting your opinion as law.
2. Healthcare is complex, Travelers are passionate, Toughen Up. We could spend days on each subject or discussion. So much to cover so little time. Understand, posters and commenters most likely will be short and sweet. They don’t have time to care about your feelings, they are trying to vent or get a point across. Most of the subjects and topics covered are things people are passionate about on both sides. Try to understand the posters/commenters intent or feelings when they posted or commented. Try to brush off how it initially made YOU feel and have some empathy. Short story put on your big boy or big girl pants and don’t be so easily offended.
3. Read the whole post please. Before diving into that thread read the entire post and comments. We are all guilty of this, especially if we see something that pushes a button or strikes a nerve. We get halfway through the post and a comment catches our eye and we dive in head first. Big mistake! When we do this, we most likely miss some information that is pertinent to the overall context of the post. You may even post that snide comment to someone who was ultimately agreeing with you. Then our comment can seem like it comes out of right field and cause serious confusion.
4. Perspective. Putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes can go a long way. At least attempt to be empathetic (there goes that word again). If your mind is made up before you even comment that may be fine but use information and facts to explain why you agree or disagree. When doing this at least attempt to be sympathetic to how your comment may make someone feel. Most importantly you are representing yourself and your employer. BE CIVIL. Although there are different levels of professionalism on all the different platforms, what you post is out there forever.
5. Watch your mouth! Derogatory language and name calling brings every conversation to a screeching halt. Would we yell/swear at a boss/coworker at work? So why would we do it online? Name calling and bashing others is never appropriate no matter what social media platform you choose to use. If someone chooses to do this, it may be better to ignore than comment or respond. We may have caught them at a bad time. Who knows what they were going through at that exact moment? They could have just been fired, had a death in the family, or had a fight with their significant other. We have all had a rough day or said something we regret. No need to pile on and Everyone deserves a second chance.
Lastly, Recruiters and Nurses if our personality ever leads us to want/desire to purposefully harm others (verbally) even if only on social media we are in the wrong profession.
Mario has over 15 years of experience in recruitment, 3 of those years being in the Civilian Healthcare sector. He was a recruiter for 10+ years in the Army, where he supported Combat Support Hospitals, Forward Surgical Teams, and Minimal Care Detachments. His passions are his family, his 3 kids’ sports, helping fellow veterans, visiting breweries, cooking, and all Cleveland Sports. He thinks being a Cleveland Browns fan has prepared him for anything life can throw at him.
