When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is get online and check my email. After seeing that there are no new messages my next click is to Facebook to see if I received any new notifications, friend requests or messages. Facebook has been a big proponent in the way I do my morning routines. But I have never thought that Facebook could be a roadblock to finding a job. Because of the popularity of social networking, more than 400 million active users are on Facebook and potential employers use the website to track and see what their applicants are all about.
A recent survey commissioned by Microsoft found that 70 percent of recruiters and hiring managers in the United States have rejected an applicant based on information they found online. But what kind of information? “Inappropriate” comments by the candidate; “unsuitable” photos and videos; criticisms of previous employers, co-workers, or clients; and even inappropriate comments by friends and relatives, according to the survey report, titled “Online Reputation in a Connected World.”
So are we to delete our Facebook accounts and not have the risk of being “eliminated” in the eyes of the employer?
People are simply making their Facebook pages hidden from potential employers by changing their names on Facebook while looking for a job. Students across the country are using an alias to keep their personal life from being looked at. It is understanding that employers will look at someone’s Facebook page to try and paint a bigger picture of the person they might be hiring. Some of the reasons that potential clients hid their pages is because of the content that might appear on their accounts. For example, many of my friends take a lot of pictures and they normally “tag” the people in the pictures without telling them ahead of time. These pictures could have you holding a plastic cup, that may not have any alcohol and may look as innocent as baby kittens. But to the employer who might be interested in hiring, it says that you are a party animal who just wants to have fun and not take things seriously.
These days social media and job search go hand in hand. Of course the age old knock on the door and “are you hiring?” scenario is still out there but many people favor job search via networking and making use of online job search sites.
Over the years networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have become a must for job seekers. If you aren’t on the web, at times it’s almost impossible to secure a job. However, some people seem to keep forgetting that social media if not utilized properly can hurt your job search and can lead to job loss.
Of course, when you have a Facebook account it’s your personal account. However, it depends how you are using it. Are you using it to simply connect with your friends and family or are you using it to connect with professionals? Before you go ahead and utilize the power of free speech on Facebook or any other social media platforms make sure you watch what you are saying. Social media has given us tremendous amount of power in terms of job search but it has also made everything we do much more vulnerable. The saying “choose your words carefully” might be true now than ever before. Just make sure before you publish anything on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or anywhere else, you haven’t friended one of your colleagues or bosses before you make a rude remark about them. And even if they are not your friends, there are still ways things can get out, so at times it’s best to keep it yourself. Just cause social media is about transparency doesn’t mean you have to be transparent in everything you do. Transparency comes with a cost, in some case it’s you giving your own privacy and in some case losing a job.
Stephen, Good theme, but you need to tighten the writing. eg: “Because of the popularity of social networking, Facebook has dominated the landscape and with more than 400 million active users on Facebook potential employers use the website to track and see what their applicants are all about.” Half of this sentence is all you need, the half with the numbers.
Tell the story with more facts, fewer generalizations. An example would be helpful.