Top Dos and Donts on How Jobseekers Should Conduct Themselves on Facebook - CareerAlley

Top Do’s and Don’ts on How Jobseekers Should Conduct Themselves on Facebook - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. It is never too late to be what you might have been.George Eliot Opinions differ dramatically when it comes to the way you should conduct yourself on social networking sites such as Facebook. What might be acceptable to one person, might be unacceptable to another. However when you factor potential employers into the equation, it becomes another matter. Suddenly you have more to consider than just family and friends seeing your timeline, you have someone who could decide your professional future. Believe it or not many employers do search for candidates on Facebook, regardless of the sector. With record levels of unemployment plaguing the country, it is important for job-seekers to do everything they can to increase their hiring chances including reviewing their Facebook profiles. Similar to online PR it is an opportunity for self-promotion. DO pick appropriate profile and cover photos first impressions matter hugely and these pictures should reflect how you wish to be seen by employers. That doesnt necessarily mean it cannot be a picture of you with your friends having a drink, but it should not include any nudity, drunken behaviour and so on. DONT swear a potential employer will read recent status updates, and with the introduction of timeline they may even view status updates from two years ago, so unless you would swear in a professional environment, you should not swear on Facebook either. DO use Facebook as a personal platform share news updates and articles that relate to your chosen career. It will show an employer that you are proactive, have a real passion for the industry and that you have a good knowledge of current trends. DONT use negative language when you go for a job interview you would never moan or be negative when answering questions, your attitudes on Facebook should be the same. Do not use negative language, especially about other people. Employers should see you as being a positive person who will be an asset to the team and saying nasty things or just being negative will put an employer off you in an instant. DO follow brands and companies on Facebook as well as following brands that you have a genuine interest in, follow brands that you would potentially like to work for and those that you are applying to work for. Doing this will enable you to view any news updates or promotions which will put you in good stead in an interview. DONT let an employer see your profile if you are uncomfortable with the above points the privacy settings on Facebook are extremely thorough. From being able to review anything you are tagged in before it goes on your wall, to making your profile unsearchable in Facebook and in search engines if you want to you can decide how visible you want to be, but bear in mind that Facebook can be a fantastic way of letting an employer get to see a little part of your personality that CVs dont allow you to do. THE GOLDEN RULE if you would not say it in a work environment, you shouldnt say it on Facebook. Author, Emilie Legrand, is an account executive at integrated search, PR and social media agency Punch Communications. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.Visit me on Facebook