SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES CAN WORK FOR OR AGAINST YOU

What does your profile say about you?

Employers are no longer just looking at what you put on an application, your resume, or your criminal background. They are looking deeper than that and finding out who you really are.

Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn are all popular social networking sites and all sources that employers and schools are looking at when they are looking at applicants.

Recent studies on social media sites state that 1 in 10 admissions officers check applicants social networking sites and out of that 38 percent have lead to rejections based on what there social profile said about them.

Employers looking at your personal information may not seem fair, but like it or not what you put on the Internet is not private and employers have the right to look at what you are posting.

You might be reading this and deciding that you are going to get rid of your social sites all together. However, before you take your information off why don't you change what your profile says about you and have it work for you rather than against you. A good rule of thumb to decide what is suitable to post and what is not is the grandmother test. Ask yourself, "would my grandmother be happy to see this." If the answer is no, than take it off. Remember, what you post on the Internet is there to stay, there are NO take backs.

The best way to have your social networking sites work for you is to promote yourself in a positive manner. Base your site off of what your resume says. For example, if your resume says that you volunteer at such a place have your social site talk about what you do there and if you have pictures post them as well. Keep you profile updated and have it always reflect you in a positive light.

Check out out the Tampa Employment Guide page more postings and helpful tips for finding a job. You can also go to our Tampa Employment Guide Facebook page and add us for updates on what is going on in the Tampa Bay area and nationally as well.