Social Networking – Just Be Smart About It
These
days you can’t turn on the TV or read an article online without running across
a story on the new uses of social-networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.
Employers are now getting savvy in the social-networking arena and are using
these sites to gather information on potential candidates that they could not
get from the conventional resume or face-to-face interview. This topic
was being discussed as early as 2005, when Jessica Mintz wrote an article, Social-Networking
Sites Catch the Eye of Employers, on Wall Street Journal Online. A
candidate can put all their efforts into creating an impressive resume and
putting up a professional appearance at an interview, but if they have
information out on the web about their weekend keg parties and shenanigans,
employers might see that and cross them off their list.
"Someone will come in [for an in-person interview],
be all buttoned-up and seem very proper, but you know you just saw their
profile, and on it, their friends were talking about how they were wild and
crazy and party seven nights a week," she says. For Ms. Prieto, that’s
fine. "I want to know what your real personality is like," she says.
However, bad grammar or typos, even on candidates’ friends’ pages, give her
second thoughts."
Now,
in 2007 with more and more talk about the harm of social-networks, students are
becoming more conscience of what they post on sites like Facebook and
MySpace. If you are a student who uses one of the social-networks you
should tune into the season premier of Minnesota Public Radio "In The Loop
Show". The show is mentioned on www.collegerecruiter.com and in entitled
"Your Exposed Life".
“The
show airs this Sunday at 6pm CT on MPR. If these issues are of concern to you,
and they should be to everyone, then you should listen. You’ll be entertained
and learn a lot. For those outside of the MPR
listening area, listen on-line. If you want to see the studio audience, guests,
host, head over to Flickr.”
(www.collegerecruiter.com )
into the show, it is bound to have some useful information on how to protect
your personal information out there on the web. How do you feel about
employers being able to do “background’ checks on you through your social-network? Do you think it is fair? Does it make you
want to not use those sites?
