The Perils of Facebook - Reminders Every Job Seeker Should Know

In its recently released annual report, “2012 Bullhorn Reach Social Recruiting Activity Report,” the company presents some interesting findings on the three big social media networks (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter), and how much each is being utilized by recruiters. More than 35,000 recruiters were surveyed to compile the data that found 98% of recruiters use LinkedIn, 42% use Twitter, and 33% use Facebook. So even though only one-third surveyed are using Facebook, that still means a 1 in 3 chance a recruiter you have made contact with could check out your Facebook account. And the report also mentions that both Facebook and Twitter are highly underutilized, but they expect that trend to change in 2012. For purpose of this post, I want to focus in on Facebook in particular, and remind job seekers once again of the perils that can arise from information found on profiles.

If you are going to use Facebook as a professional vehicle instead of a personal or social tool, you should treat it as such. Clean up your profile and get rid of all irrelevant and personal information including personal pictures, dates that could give away your age (especially if you are older), family/marital status and anything else that may convey an unprofessional image. Make your profile picture professional, and all comments and posts the same. You also need to look closely at everyone you have as a friend. Is there anyone making crazy comments or posting anything on your wall that could turn a recruiter away? Take a close look at anything and everything you have “liked,” and ask yourself how a recruiter or prospective employer would view these choices? Be on constant alert for personal and private information of any kind that could potentially harm your job search.

Perhaps the best strategy if you still want to have your social outlet is to create two separate Facebook pages; one personal and the other purely professional. Do so by creating a variation on your name, or use a nickname for your personal page. And don’t forget to use a completely different email address for your personal Facebook page, while using a professional email address for your professional page. View your page as an opportunity to update your network on your job search, convey your brand, and share your professional expertise, much like you would with LinkedIn or Twitter. Become a “fan” of companies you would like to work for, or of industry leaders in your area of expertise. Most of all, be careful of interacting with anyone (friends, family) who will not help your professional image. Interact only with professional contacts, and your page will display professionalism.

Finally, if you would rather keep your Facebook page solely for socializing, make sure you have your page set on private so that it cannot be viewed by the entire world. You would actually be surprised at how many people I log on to Facebook to check out that do not have their privacy settings on. The following guide from mediabistro wonderfully covers the 10 Facebook privacy settings you need to know.