Facebook is Your Friend
I know how much you love Facebook, really, I do. In fact, it might be the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning or the last thing you do at night. It's such a surprise cultural success that everyone from Investor's Business Daily to Bambi Francisco (random blogger with girly name), is talking about it.
Unfortunately, recruiters are also talking about it. You've probably heard the warnings about recruiters searching Facebook or My Space for embarrassing, inappropriate or otherwise questionable activity that might disqulaify a candidate. But what really makes or breaks your case?
If you're job searching and you don't want to risk it with your online profile, ask yourself these questions:
1) What photos do you have posted?
This sshould be so obvious but it's not. And it's cost some college students great internships or jobs. Simply put--don't put alcohol or nudity related photos on your site. Think about it this way. If it's a photo you wouldn't want Grandma to see, a potential employer won't find it endearing either.
2) What groups do you belong to?
Some groups such as fraternities or sororities are labeled online as such: "Alpha Delta Pi group." But if your group is something rude, inappropriate or unkind, think twice about belonging during your search (or publicizing a membership). You may think the "I need a valet for my yacht" group is hilarious, but a recruiter might not laugh as hard.
3) What preferences do you have listed?
Religion and politics are often topics of conversation we tend to avoid in mixed company. And it may be something you want to avoid on Facebook. It is illegal for an employer to base hiring preferences on these things, but if you list yourself as "very liberal" you might have a tough time getting that Halliburton interview.
4) What blogs or feeds do you subscribe to?
While this may seem strange, your offline interests could make or break your case. If you're getting financial, business or otherwise interesting (art, literature) RSS feeds or linking to such blogs, it could strengthen your case as a well-rounded individual. But you may not seem so well-rounded if you're connecting to off color blogs or feeds.
All of these things are your call--and yes, there's a great argument for whether recruiters should even be invading this space. But they are and right now, there's not much defense you have except to try to be less risky.
- Susan Strayer is an HR and business professional, and former recruiter and hiring manager who has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 companies. She is the author of The Right Job, Right Now due out in December 2006 from St. Martin's Press.
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