Tailoring Your Personal Social Media Accounts for Employment

Social networking has become an inescapable part of our modern lives and generally, it is a welcome addition. Social media networks can be used to keep you in contact with family, friends and colleagues, they can be used to unite families, and they can even get you a job. If you are not careful, however, they can cost you a job just as easily. Privacy There is a growing concern about privacy on social networks. Part of this concern comes from lapsed security and news of data breaches. Even the giants like Facebook have been chided for relaxed security that resulted in the alleged hacking of Mark Zuckerberg's account. If your private data isn't adequately protected, then these social networks could potentially expose your name, e-mail address, phone numbers, physical address, past employment and more. More often, however, is the concern that social networks are not respecting your privacy. Returning to Facebook, the company had, unbeknownst to its many users, opened up mobile phone and physical address data to application developers, resulting in public outcry. The resultant backlash prompted Facebook to revitalize its privacy policy in an attempt to make users more informed about their rights. While your mobile number or physical address being revealed to an application developer may not seem important, consider the potential implications of that application developer selling its valuable collection of data to a third party, or an application developer linking this data with the various personal information you already release publicly. Once this information is out of your hands, it can be impossible to track or correct, and you will forever be linked to this data. Would you want to take responsibility for every action ever done by someone that has had, or will have, your cell phone number? More importantly, would you like this mis-information appearing in a background check? Additionally, don't expect private conversations to remain private. While your friend may have strict privacy controls on their Facebook page today, they may relax those controls tomorrow, or "friend" someone that you don't know, or fall pray to accidental disclosure if Facebook alters the default security settings in the future. A series of light-hearted drunken photos from a graduation party may be protected now, but thanks to tagging or friends of friends, your antics may put you in the newspaper. Just take the case of school board officials whose questionable Facebook photos and quotes put their positions in jeopardy in May 2010. Ethics It's not illegal for businesses to research employees, though the ethical implications are questionable. Businesses have Facebook pages now and you had better believe they'll try to find as much about you as possible if they need to. It comes down to one point: the business is under no obligation to hire you. In fact, for a competitive field, or in a fierce job market, many employers are looking for ways to narrow the job pool, which means any negative information can and will be used against you. Putting yourself in their position, you'll understand why they may be reluctant to hire someone if a quick Google search reveals message board posting about how horrible their past boss is. You may not even know that your potential, or even your current, employer is researching you, and there's almost nothing you can do to stop it. In 2009, Career Builder reported that 45% of companies researched their employees, and that number has almost certainly risen. Prevention is the best medicine, but failing that, you do not have to make their search easy. Make sure your email address and anything before the "@" on your resume is only associated with work you feel represents you personally and professionally. Many people use the same handle on many sites, so while you can still be i_hate_bunnies on your blog, Twitter feed and in e-mails, anything you want your employer to find should be associated with your name@provider e-mail address. Conduct Use social networks to discover, interact with and engage people in your field. Comment on their blogs, follow them on Twitter and interact on message boards. Networking takes on many forms and you can leverage the Internet's ability to match people with similar interests to your advantage. But regardless of the role you play online, act on your best behavior. Conduct every conversation online as if your boss is reading because it is entirely possible he or she might be. This means exercising restraint and prudence, regardless of how heated a debate may get. When a conversation strays into politics, religion or any hot button topic, consider walking away. It's entirely reasonable to have a position on these topics, and if you really feel strongly about a presidential candidate or a religious group's policies then by all means, state your opinion. But do so with the expectation that your post is either public, or at the very least, able to go public. Making Some Information Public - Now that you've been warned of the dangers, you may be ready to put some information online. Once again though, only publish information that will speak positively about you both personally and professionally. A public account on Linkedin is an excellent way to start. It will act as a public resume, and a way for colleagues to easily connect with you. A blog can be used to highlight your personal success and your work, but posts disparaging colleagues or revealing potentially inflammatory personal information may harm you in the end. Gaining followers on Twitter gives you access to an ongoing and open communication with the leaders in your industry. In conclusion, harnessing social media accounts for your advantage is a two-pronged process. You need to root out, protect, and avoid posting potentially damaging content, while using online resources to reach potential leads, contacts and industry leaders. Keeping your online identity clean makes you more attractive to potential employers in an unsteady job market, and reaching out to others can help you find new and exciting opportunities.