Career Corner: Social networking not all fun and games

By Krystin Nichols
Western Herald

Most people do not think about the way their social networking sites can affect their jobs, however they should.

Employers typically look at candidate’s photos, wall posts and comments they make on others’ statuses and walls.

“Employers do look at candidates’ Facebook pages,” Ewa Urban, career advisor at Western Michigan University’s Career and Student Employment Services said.

Last year, CareerBuilder.com conducted a survey of employers to find out how many of them are actually using social networking sites to screen candidates.

They discovered that as many as 45 percent of employers look at social networking websites such as Facebook.

Over 2,600 managers and human resources professionals were surveyed and of them 35 percent didn’t offer jobs based on what they saw.

“Screening candidates based on information seen on Facebook is on the rise,” said career advisor Deveta Gardner.

“For instance, in 2008, only about 22 percent of employers used Facebook and similar sites to screen candidates.”

Employers are less likely to hire candidates who have photos of themselves and their friends drinking, doing drugs or engaging in other inappropriate behavior. In addition, employers are turned off by any posts where candidates badmouth employers or colleagues.

Career and Student Services Career advisors, Deveta Gardner and Ewa Urban offer these tips on presenting your social networks in a professional way, in the event that employers search your profile.

“Student’s should set the setting to private, but also remember that it doesn’t guarantee that employers won’t get to it,” said Urban.

“Students should keep in mind that someone will be able to see and use the information they see online.”

Other things to consider:

• Do not use foul language.

• Do not post photos that are  inappropriate.

• Do not accept friend requests from people you don’t know or don’t trust as your friends.

• Delete people who swear, post inappropriate information and photos, and people who might damage your reputation and undermine your credibility.

• Students should be aware that at any time someone could be looking at their profile, pictures and posts. They should be mindful of photos they post, choose their friends wisely, and ‘untag’ photos other people post.

Career Advisor Gardner and Urban suggest that in order to manage online presence, students should create a professional LinkedIN account used for professional networking and communication with potential employers.

“Students should also Google themselves to see what they find, as many employers Google as well,” Urban said.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=19018

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Aug 15 2010. Filed under Campus, Local, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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