Oh No! You Viewed My Profile

One of the features of Social-Media, especially LinkedIn, one can see who (or from what organization) viewed their profile.

For most people this is no big deal, but for the White-Collar Justice-Impacted community, it can bring a wave of emotions. Including fear, shame, guilt, judgement, and diminishment.

Of course, it’s not the person viewing our profile’s fault. Because we don’t wear a scarlet letter, we try to operate in the world of work just like anyone else. We put forth our best efforts, navigate office politics, co-exist with other workers, form new business connections, and apply for roles that can potentially advance our careers. All in all, we simply try to be NORMAL.

But unlike others who suffer judgement and discrimination, what identifies us as different isn’t in our race, gender, religious, or political affiliation, but a criminal conviction which will label us as “felon” for life. Often, only discoverable by a good ole web search.

Those in our Monday evening White-Collar support group routinely discuss the fear of engaging with a new colleague, applying for a new role, volunteering, or anything else to advance the world and our careers, then…being GHOSTED.

We experience the typical scenario with a feedback trail something like this,

1. Just met me, “you have a diverse professional background, you seem great!”

2. Advancing to potentially collaborate, “You are super smart, talented, and well-spoken, its likely we should work together”.

3. They Google me, discover my conviction, read negative press articles, check my LinkedIn profile to see if it’s the same Michael Neubig.

4. Ghost me, I reach out several times, receive eventual vague responses of “Sorry, we are no longer interested, the role has been filled, the organization isn’t actually ready to hire, and someone else was a better fit”.

5. Receive direct and non-vague, negative response “You have a great background, but we can’t in good conscious consider collaborating with a convicted felon”. (This is an actual response I received from an organizations HR representative).

Despite the actions leading to my conviction being almost ten years ago, this process has happened to me approximately thirty or more times and carries on routinely to this day.

So, it is obvious why being notified of a profile view is a trigger. For me, I combat it with positive self-talk of who I am now, the self-esteem I have built by being a good husband, father, and person that genuinely cares for others, including the victims of discrimination and injustice in many forms. But, this trigger equals self-work. Work that must be completed every day in order to achieve growth.

I write this blog as a call to action for anyone that has read/heard something negative about a person. Remember that they have a story that goes well beyond their online profile, as do you.

Before judging, ghosting, cutting them off, and making assumptions of their value, find out who they really are. Explore their background outside of the conviction. The grit, determination, creativity, and process of recovery creates a solid foundation that will most likely create a better employee who stays in the role for a longer period.

Who knew simply looking at someone’s profile, then responding with kindness and understanding, will have so much impact.

Mike Neubig is a member of the Ministry’s White Collar Support Group™ that meets every Monday evening on Zoom.