Photo by Evil Erin

Social Media & Job Search #5: Let me begin by saying, I like Facebook.

I like Facebook as a personal way of sharing pictures, ideas, and just getting to know people. I see real advantages for the job seeker who can use Facebook to connect with others and explore possibilities. I know connections I made through Facebook have expanded into both great friendships and future business relationships but there are dangers in all this good too.

Facebook No-Nos — Let’s list them quickly:

1. Posting pictures of yourself from parties or events. This should be obvious but I see it happening all the time. You put up a photo of you chugging beers or worse, it was fun at the time, you maybe put it up when you were still partying. Negative image…
   Solution: Make sure all photos you post of yourself are ones that you wouldn’t mind sharing in a job interview.
2. Being tagged by friends. You’ve learned your lesson from #1 and are careful of what photos you post. You can’t control your friends though and you were tagged by one of them doing a keg stand or drinking from a beer bong.
   Solution: Fortunately, you can “untag” yourself. If you are tagged in an unflattering photo, look at the tags and select “remove tag” and you are untagged. As a second step, if your friend is truly a friend, persuade them to take the photo down.
3. Saying whatever you feel like: This is from an actual listing on the info page of someone, under employer. Note: I have not friended this person, but I can see this… “I approve shit for all the Order Entry people and walk around with a cordless phone pretending i’m important.” and  ”Get dressed…go there bullshit with businesses and government agencies over the phone…make them buy shit from me”
   Solution: whatever you say on your info page, your wall, or in comments needs to be something that you could say in an interview — if not, take it down or don’t put it there in the first place.

Enough for now. Share your feelings about Facebook, using it in job searches, using it for marketing, or just using it. Let me know other pitfalls or no-nos you see for the person looking for that new career position.

Talk to me, I talk back!