Remember those pics of you in college doing keg stands? or those comments you left on your friends profile talking about how wasted you were? Well guess what, the folks hiring you are going to see all of that. You need to either remove all of that junk from your profiles or make it very private.
I read an article today by Computerworld which stated that 20% of employers use social networks during the hiring process. Meaning if you apply for a job, the people hiring you are going to type your name into google to see what comes up. They are also going to check out your profile on social networking sites like myspace and facebook.
According to the article employers are using your online presence to search for the following:
- Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
- Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
- Poor communication skills (29%)
- Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
- Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
- Unprofessional screen names (22%)
- Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
- Confidential information about past employers (19%)
If you’re looking for a job then it’s probably time for you to grow up a little right? Sure, I had a few pics on my facebook profile that I didn’t want anyone to see (years ago), but those are long gone. You’re an adult now, it’s time to act like one.
It’s funny to look at the profile pages of recent college grads that are looking to get jobs at companies like Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, Adobe, Microsoft, etc. that have pics of them doing drugs…seriously? you might as well move into a little cabin in the forest or learn how to sweep, because your career alternatives are in jeopardy.
See you if are a part of any type of social network or have left a comment on someone’s profile page or blog, you now have an online footprint and thus an online presense, whether you like it or not. This is why I encourage people to take control of their online brand by creating something themseleves. For example, if you type in “jacob morgan” into virtually any search engine, this blog comes up. This means that if I ever apply for a job, I’m pretty confident in how I portray myself, I know the image I am giving off and I know and control what my prospective employer is going to see.
If you were applying for a job today would you be comfortable with the information that your prospective employer would find out about you?
thanks for reading
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