Career Resources > Employment BEWARE - Pitfalls of Social Networking Sites

Are you on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or some other social networking site?  You could be jeopardizing your job search without even knowing it.  Read on and take steps today to ensure that your profile(s) won't cost you your dream job!

Millions of people have profiles on social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace, and the numbers are growing daily. More and more, employers are viewing these profiles as part of their interview and offer process. During the past year, numerous stories have made headlines about employers who chose not to hire, or have even withdrawn job offers from people whose profiles they felt had questionable content, pictures, etc. Many people who use Facebook and MySpace post pictures of themselves having fun, drinking at bars, etc.  Sometimes, people post pictures that they assume only their friends will see. What they do not realize, is that an employer might search to find their profile as well.

The moral of the story is: if you are a job seeker, or are in a job where the information and pictures you post to websites such as Facebook or MySpace could cause problems if your employer/potential employer found out, it is best to clean up your profile. Pictures you think are okay to share with friends might not be okay for a potential employer or your current boss to see.

With other sites such as LinkedIn, oftentimes what potential employers look for are typos, or how well you write. Essentially, your profile is scrutinized as a writing sample. LinkedIn is an online resume database with some extra information about each person. Increasingly, employers are finding candidates on LinkedIn more so than through traditional job boards. Therefore, it is critical that your LinkedIn profile is free of typos, well-written and employs proper grammar.

Time spent “cleaning up” your profile(s) will protect you from projecting the wrong kind of image to potential (or current) employers.