Social Media and Your Job Search

Do you enjoy social networking? Social networking includes blogging, twittering, and more. From Orkut, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, BlogSpot, and more, there are endless opportunities to state your opinion online. But is this really as anonymous as it seems?

Think about the information many students share. Pictures of drinking events, political opinions that may change as we mature, and sometimes worse. Many college graduates are learning to close their social networking pages before stepping into professional interviews.

Closing some accounts may be a good idea. Big Brother is always watching, and for the job seeker, Big Brother may now be an HR manager from the very company you'd like to work for.

To some, this may sound paranoid, but from an HR perspective, hiring the wrong person is a costly mistake and it is advantageous to learn as much as possible about each candidate. The internet provides a fast, easy, and low-cost method of doing so.

This is a growing trend and should be considered by any person facing a job hunt. For people who have used social networking for less than professional purposes, this may be concerning. Imagine a potential employer pulling up that picture of you letting loose at a college party!

Many young people think that social networking sites that require passwords are fair game. This can be a bit naïve. It is not unlikely that the recruiter for the job you really want has a son or a daughter in the same networking site as you, and they may even create their own and get direct access if you accept anyone you meet online into your group.

If you think that this growing trend will cut down on the social use of blogs and online groups, think again. According to a recent survey conducted by AfterCollege.com, most of the 60 students surveyed have not changed their online habits.

The same survey asked 90 employers if they would not hire a candidate based on information found online. Six percent admitted that this was the case, while 26% failed to answer the question.

Students may want to heed the advice of Roberto Angulo of AfterCollege.com, which is to be more concerned about this trend then 70% of those surveyed appear to be.

My other interest is finding a quality reception chair. Go to http://receptionchair.org to read my other articles.

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