Social Media: It Is My Gift, It Is My Curse

And Thank You to SpiderMan for that awesome quote!

Almost everyone has Facebook nowadays, and most even have Twitter, too. They can be great tools. They remind you to say Happy Birthday. They announce exciting news, like engagements or new jobs. They invite other people to events. You can even use them to find jobs and connect with professionals. You can “like” company Facebook pages to see promotions or breaking news. You can use hashtags (#) to find specific keywords, like #accounting or #Nevada. Putting them together, you can tweet: #Jobsearch in #Nevada for #accounting and see if anyone has tweeted about openings with those key words. OR someone else can see that you used those keywords and reach out to you. Pretty neat, huh?

Unfortunately, there is a downside to social media, too. Unless you keep your privacy settings as tight as possible, others can see you just as well as you can see them! Which means, they can see the status update where you slammed your internship supervisor, they can see the picture of you with a red solo cup (regardless of what is in it) and they can see that you posted a youtube clip of a comedian that uses a lot of profanity. Unfortunately, although an employer shouldn’t be looking for things like this (Facebook announced it goes against their privacy policy), they still do. So be aware of what you post. Untag yourself from pictures if you need to, and make sure people you aren’t friends with can’t see your posts.

However, one form of social media I encourage others to use is LinkedIn. It’s set up a lot like Facebook, and you can use your friends on Facebook and Twitter to find people to connect with. You can join groups and follow companies. You can even upload your resume right onto the page. It’s a much more professional form of social media, and again, you can use it to see if there are job openings. Moreover, employers can search for skills, and if you match what they are looking for, they’ll reach out to you!

Social media can be really helpful as employers shift their sites to hiring with them. However, you also have to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward!

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Why does my employer want THAT?!

On nearly every website you sign up for, it tells you in bold letters: Do Not Share Your Password. People are more aware of everything they do on the internet, from buying on Ebay to finding a flight to LA to posting a picture of your new puppy. We take for granted all of the security settings, and we never share our passwords.

But what if you’re in an interview and you’re asked for it? Then comes a dilemma. Do you offer up your password, pray no one remembers it after you leave, and hope they don’t find anything in your personal life a reason not to hire you? Or do you say no, and pretty much ruin your own chances of getting the job?

From the research I’ve done, it seems that employers will Google candidates in an effort to weed out the extras and determine who is an upstanding citizen who would be a beneficial team member. But why a personal profile? Why not a professional network like LinkedIn? In the articles, you’ll find that some companies will have you do your application through Facebook, or ask you to sign in while in your interview, just so they can find out more about you. For some super sensitive jobs, say, police work, maybe it makes sense. And some can argue that you reflect yourself in your work, and vice versa. So how would you, dear reader, interpret the question of “may I go through your facebook?” Is it an infringement on your personal life, or a chance to show what a genuine candidate you are?

http://blog.resumebear.com/college-graduates/facebook-employers-wanting-usename-and-password/

http://news.yahoo.com/job-seekers-getting-asked-facebook-passwords-071251682.html