Common Pitfalls of Social Media
Many of us are familiar with and have heard the term "social media". Most of us are aware of sites like Facebook, My Space, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Many of us today probably have profiles on a few of these sites. Social media can be used for your job search as well. There are a few dangers with social media and your job search you need to know about.
What we put out into cyberspace stays there permanently and this fact is easily forgotten. When our friends post about us on their profiles this also remains in public view forever or until profiles are disabled. We have all heard the stories in the news about employees off on sick time when a harmless photo at a party shows up on Facebook and leads to a termination. There is belief that our profiles on sites like Facebook and My Space belong to us and that they are an expression of our personality. While this is true, more than your family and friends review your profile. Many recruiters, Human Resource professionals and other hiring managers also look at them. Why you may ask? Well curiosity is one reason. People want to know and understand who they will be bringing into their workplace so what a great preview of you than to see you in your natural habitat. Hiring managers look at habits, personality, activities to see the "cultural fit" within their organization. This may not sound fair but there are some common sense things you can do to safeguard your private moments. As time goes by, I feel we as a society are losing perspective on what "private moments" are due to the influence of social media in our lives.
The Google Test
Have you ever performed a“Google” search of your name? If you have, were you surprised to see how much personal information about you came up in that search? Was any of the search material surprising? Was anything that surfaced a little embarrassing? Now imagine what a future employer might think of you if they performed a search and found out about you? Might some of that information prevent you from being hired?
Our personal lives are our “personal lives” however, employers look for people that fit their culture as much as they fit their skill needs. If you appear to be a party type and the company you are applying with is much more conservative, do you think the interviewer will see the fit? This discussion is endless with both pro’s and con’s for social media presence.
What Can You Do About Your On-Line Profile?
The first thing you can do is go to your personal profile on social media sites and examine your security settings. You can decide who can see your profile as well as how much is visible to the public. You can choose a setting that only allows your list of connections to view your pages. This is an advisable setting when job searching. Many people today choose this option all of the time as they prefer to keep their profile private.
Reach out to your friends and tell them about your job search. They can go easy on "tagging" you in some weekend photos that you feel a future employer may not find so charming.
Watch your language! If you are blogging or posting and you choose to use foul language, this will probably influence a future employer's decision about your fit. Blogging can be the source of great angst while job searching. Blogging is a great tool and is a fabulous form of self expression but be careful to not blog about previous employers and make very negative remarks. This could set you up for some litigation and future employers will be fearful of your potential remarks about them!
Keep your social media life under control and good luck in your job search!
