Company Shames Applicant Who Posted a Bikini Photo on Social Media, and It Blows Up in Company’s Face

First impressions count in many situations in life. We’re talking about friendships, romantic relationships and especially job applications.

When most people apply for a job, they submit their resume along with a cover letter. In some instances, applicants may also submit additional information like samples of their work. In the world of social media marketing, that could include links to their social media accounts.

When Emily Clow applied for a job at a company called Kickass Masterminds, the company scrolled through her social media accounts and found a photo Clow had posted of herself wearing a bikini. They thought the picture was unprofessional and didn’t want to give her the job in part due to the photo. Instead of simply deciding not to hire Clow, they decided to make an example of her and shame her in their Instagram stories.

Clow was baffled by the company’s behavior, which she thought was extremely unprofessional, and she wasn’t the only one. Michaela Okland, whose Twitter account @SheRatesDogs has 358,000 followers, stood up for Clow and caused the story to go viral.

Since the story went viral, Kickass Masterminds changed their social media accounts to private and even blocked access to their website with a message saying it’s under construction. Yet, the company refused to apologize to Clow or acknowledge that they had done anything wrong.

Many people have been bashing the company, especially considering how ironic the company’s actions are considering how the company describes itself.

Do you think Kickass Masterminds was in the wrong? Do you think posting bikini pictures on social media means someone is unprofessional?