Google yourself. Go ahead, we'll wait...
What did you find? Anything good? Anything bad?
If you discovered something your mother wouldn't be proud of, it’s time for change. If you're an active job seeker, you need to clean up your online profiles immediately.
With the unemployment rate approaching 10%, job seekers can't afford to miss out on exciting job opportunities due to the content of their on-line profiles. Whether you have a profile on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr or Twitter- content is king and it better be clean.
- Privacy- You wouldn't leave your doors and windows of your home open all day, leaving it vulnerable for anyone to enter and snoop around. So why would you let anyone view your online profile? Social networking sites offer various degrees of privacy. It's easy, but so many job seekers neglect to take advantage of this setting. Block or limit users who aren't your friends from gaining access to your profiles.
- Content - Your online profile can show friends and connections a broader perspective of who you are, what you are doing right now, what books you read this summer, what your interests are, etc. When presented well, this can portray you positively as a person. However, when the content presented is negative, it can drastically impact how a colleague or employer feels about you.
- Photos - Yes, visiting Cancun during your senior year was fun, but potential employers are going to think otherwise when they see the photos. Untag and block any photos that may be inappropriate. Upload photos that will strengthen your personality, not show the world how much you love being the center of attention.
- Posts – Once you author a post on any social networking profile, you cannot go back. Despite the ability to “delete” the content later, you have no control over who has already seen the material, commented about it, or forwarded the post/image to someone else.
- Etiquette - Many of you have probably been friended by moms and dads of your close friends, and dare we say a grandparent or two?!?! Yikes! But remember “friending” a potential employer isn’t a professional way to go about getting hired. Save the MySpace and Facebook friending for close friends, coworkers and colleagues that you have already established solid face-to-face relationships with.
There is no denying that the Internet is one of today’s primary communication tools. The popularity of social media has grown exponentially in the last several years. Twitter, for example, grew from 1.6 million users in 2008 to more than 32 million today. No one is expected to stay off the Internet, but people should be savvy social networkers while still maintaining a professional reputation online.
We continuously urge our candidates to keep their networking profiles clean. Think about it, you wouldn’t want to risk losing out on a new career because of the scandalous photos your friend tagged and the 37 comments that you made on them about how drunk and wild and irresponsible you all were on your summer vacation. Your personal life is all your own, but employers, universities, and organizations see is put online, so keep your image clean.
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