The Profile Says it All
March 17, 2009 
56 Comments
By now you should know that anything you put on the web can and will be viewed by someone. If that someone happens to be your boss or potential employer make sure your profile is prepared for public consumption. I’m sure you and your buddies had fun at the bar, that wild party, or vacationing in Vegas but do you really need to post the photos on Facebook as proof? You and your buddies are laughing at those pictures but your potential employer is marking your name off the list as a future employee. Ouch! These days technology makes it easy for employers to find out what type of person you are. All they have to do is search for your name on the internet. When your name pops up you want them to see you at your best.
Keep these things in mind when you are creating your online presence:
- Nick names are cute but only post yours if it is clean.
- Don’t post any photos or images you don’t want others, especially potential employers to see. Employers have found evidence of drug use and very private moments on candidate’s pages.
- Watch what you say. This is where you need to remember the old saying we all learned as kids…”If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.”
- Monitor what others post or say about you. Good and bad comments can serve as online references.
- Make sure your education is accurately displayed. If your resume says XYZ school, your education information on your page should reflect this information.
We all want to have a fun place to play online and be ourselves but just keep in mind that your online life is open to the world wide web. If the social networking site you subscribe to has Privacy Settings, learn how to make your profile or parts of your profile private. Your goal is to speak for yourself on an interview and not let your profile say it all for you.
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Thank you Goodwill for providing a free training site for those who want to improve their status.
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Im glad someone is coaching us on the do’s and dont’s of the web post. It just seems as though we would already know this but as we can see some of us dont. Thank you again for the help.
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This article is definately true. I know of many employers who have used facebook to do a little background checking on potential employees. Too many people are posting things on facebook that could be deemed inappropriate by potential employers. To sum it up, if you are in the market for a job, while you are updating your resume and cover letter, be sure to also update your facebook page as well.
I agree with this article. Even though Facebook is fun to have and post pictures on, it can cost a person a position. People who use facebook need to be careful and update their profile if they are looking for a job.
I agree with the article. Facebook pictures of partying can definitley hurt your chances at getting a good job. If the company you are looking to get hired at sees compromising photos of a prospective employee it could mean they don’t get the position. However, if your profile is set as private the prospective employer would not be able to see any of your information or pictures.
I do agree with the article, but I also feel that a person should be able to have a life outside of their work place. As long as that personal life doesn’t affect work, it shouldn’t be a problem. If there are any incriminating pictures on a Facebook page, such as drug/alcohol use, the person should make their page private.
It is in fact a good article. People sometimes don´t realize how a social network benefit or harm people when looking for a potential employment. I agree with the person who said to update your facebook if you are looking for a job or you leave a resume to an employer.
I think that it is very true that Facebook can put a hurt on your job search. You have to watch what you put on there. Your private life could no longer be your private life. I think the information is a good thing to keep in mind when creating a profile.
I think this article was dead on point in saying that you never know who is viewing your website. I believe that even once you have obtained the job you still need to cautious about what you post on your page as well as who you decided to “friend”. If you decide to friend co-workers you should also realize that they have the ability to see certain things that you may have made private to individuals who may just be doing a general search of your name. I am a big advocate of privacy settings and double-checking to make sure they have taken effect.
This article is very helpful for people like me that are actually searching for a job. I’ve never really put much on my Facebook profile, but when I was a little younger there were some pictures of my friends and I drinking that I have since taken down. I think if you expect privacy then you shouldn’t have all of that stuff on your profile in the first place. I do not post anything much about my private life, and I really don’t like reading what other people post about there’s. Keep your private life private and you won’t get in any trouble with current or futer employers!
It amazes me to see what people put on Facebook for the WORLD to see. Even if your profile is set to private, you’d be surprised how information gets around.
The article is directly on point. I’ve looked up people to see if anything specific comes up. There is no reason for a mature person to post pictures of them drinking because is it exactly that, pointless.
I often times become irritated by those who express negative feelings on their social networking pages, such as hatred towards a coworker, how their spouse is getting on their nerves etc. You must be VERY careful about what you post. You have the option to delete but you cant delete from the memories of those who read what you write.
At my current job one of my facebook friends of 2yrs eventually became my boss. You never know….
This article does speak the truth, because the way new technology is and everything being open to the public or consider to be public record it can cause you to not get a job. You have to be careful what you post on your websites and who is your friend.
The article addresses a very important point. Nowadays, the saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” no longer holds true. What one does in Vegas on a weekend getaway can have damaging effects on ones career if one chooses to post wild pictures or write offensive comments on their facebook page. It’s cool to have fun and be you but like the article suggested, one must consider the consequences if a potential employer happens to disagree with ones choice of “fun”.
I agree that Facebook can hurt your chances of getting a job; however, if you have a profile on Facebook, and you do not want random people viewing your information, should mark your settings as private and only viewable to people that you know.
I have not been sold on the concept of Facebook. I feel like it is to intrusive into my personal life, even though you are in ‘control’. And quite frankly, just don’t have time to have to keep up with one more thing!
I can completely understand the potential harm that it could do if your information (good or bad) were to get into the right or wrong hands. Perfect example. I have a friend that I am in nursing school with. The faculty warned those who use Facebook to proceed with caution because of the potential for future employers to view personal information. Even though this classmate had nothing inappropriate on her page, a patient looked her up and caused grief for her. She ultimately closed her account with Facebook because she knew that her future was more important, but the point is that Facebook is just the copy of the key into your personal world. Somtimes invited, sometimes not.
I totally agree with this article. At the same time I must admit that over the course of years people should mature. I personally sometimes find my friends posts and pictures offensive. I think that jobs have hit a gold mine when searching social networks for potential employees. I think social networks shows a person for who they really are.
I agree and disagree with the article. I don’t think a company should have the right to make judgments on what a person does on there own private time but I also think a person should know what to put in the publics eye and what to keep private. I think a person should be allow to have fun and express that fun but be tasteful in doing so. i don’t think what a person does on there own time should totally speak for who they are. f there are any incriminating pictures on a Facebook page, such as drug the person should make their page private,/alcohol use is not illegal.
It is funny, when I was working I never got on Facebook because my boss and co-workers were “friends” and I didn’t want Facebook letting everyone know that I was on FB while I was supposed to be working. Many of my co-workers were playing “Farmville” or some other application all day while they were working.
So in many ways I never have put “compromising pictures or funny stories” on Facebook that I would wish I didn’t. I beleive in keeping your professional life and personal life separate.
I found this article very interesting…I never thought about employers and HR departments using Facebook as a pre-employment screen.
I agree that Facebook or any public website can hurt your job search. It’s important to be careful what personal information you put ‘out there’ because potential employers are looking for more information to determine if someone is the right candidate for the company. It’s not fair that someone won’t get a job because of what they do in their off time, but it happens. I don’t use facebook, etc because I like my personal life to be personal.
I really enjoy Facebook. I feel as if it is a place for me to find new friends and keep in touch with old ones. I agree that facebbok can potentially hurt you in the job search as well as in your personal life. Somethings are just not meant to be publicly said or put out there. Its very important to be careful with what you say and what you post. Though I agree with this though there are also some things that i disagree with. I do not feel that an employer should judge one by what they do in their own time. Though some make live the fancy life who says that they should be old prunes when they get home. Some of us like to have fun and I dont see why our Facebook should depict whether or not we get the job.
I have a good friend who was going through the interview process with big name pharmaceutical companies. She quickly realized that her facebook page could hender her chances of being hired. Not only did she have most (if not all) of her college partying pictures posted, but she also had pictures of herself drinking A LOT for her 21st birthday. Thank goodness she changed her page before her future employers had the chance to view it!
It is true: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” And it also true: If you don’t want anyone to know your secret, don’t blast it out on the internet, especially Facebook. It’s simple like that.
In these difficult times of job search, it is really not wise to put your whole private life on Facebook, or any other social media. Why would you want to do that? Just to attract attention? Guess what, you will get attention, even unwanted attention. So, be careful.
It never even occurred to me that potential employers would do a personal web search on a site such as Facebook, before hiring an individual. I thought this article was very informative about what is considered inappropriate, when posting personal information on Facebook and other similar sites.
My experience as a manager has shown me that there are certain things you do and don’t put on Facebook for the entire world to see. As a hiring manager, It was standard practice for me to review someone’s Facebook page before conducting an interview. Many times I would see pictures of a possible employee doing things that would not acceptable, and would not go any further with their job consideration.
This article says the situation which happens nowadays. I understand what the article says and I think this is what we should keep in mind. Having a fun in facebook with friends is great thing, but why do I have to post every details when I went out? What is that for? Of course, the fact that we can easily communicate with others through Facebook is one of the biggest advatage of Facebook, but if it is important or private talking, it should be hiden. It depends on our choices.
I think it is very important to keep your private informaiton and photos to yourself and those that you deal with on an intimate level. If you choose to utilize Facebook or other social networking sites, it is best to regularly adjust your privacy settings. I have a Facebook account, but I from time to time try to access my account without signing in so that I can see what non friends or potential employers might see. Even with privacy settings, I have learned that it is wise to limit what is released out into cyberspace. It may come back to haunt you.
I think that you should always be carful with what you post on Facebook, because there is no telling to who is watching what you do or say. You should always be aware to what you post or write about because there is no telling when it will come back to haunt you when you least expect it to.
OST289SF
This article was good and the video was awesome in showing those who have not already done so, set their privacy to protect them from “non-friend people”. I have already done this because I have a friend that was being stalked by her ex-boyfriend. That came to light all of the privacy issues we face in our lives. I also don’t put my whole life out there for all to see. But I also don’t do things like drugs or cuss on my page either. If you do those things then you may be passed over for a job. Not because someone saw it but because it is your true self. People are more comfortable on Facebook and seem to want to share everything.
I thought the article was very informative about what is considered inappropriate when posting personal information on Facebook and other similar sites. We tell the kids all the time not to put every detail and aspect of their life on these public sites for the world to see because you never know who is looking at it. I think it is infair for employers to determine your job qualifications based on your private life. I believe in keeping your professional life and personal life separate.
The video was very informative. This information will be an asset to me!
I was happy to see that my settings for facebook were setup properly thanks to my son. I did review some of the items shown in the video just to confirm my privacy. I have seen some items from friends that are not that professional and will make sure to hid any photos sent from others.
I have only posted my fish online to show some friends when I went on my fishing trip.
Thank you for the tips. Mae
This article and video was very informative. I will now revisit my setting in Fb to make sure it is secure. Thank you for the information.
NM
As a mother always says to my son and my daughter be careful what you put in your facebook or tweeter or whatever accounts it is, because they use a lot. There are account call Ovoo, even is like messenger all your information can pass one to another. And I think that the article is interesting, and help me with they, because as they never believe what mother said… so thank you for both article and video that has a complete information.
OST289 I learned some valuable information from this video.
I have a facebook but I really don’t use it. I have never played around with the privacy settings so the video was very informative and helpful for if I ever do plan to change them. I have always stayed out of trouble though so anything I post is usally pretty boring lol.
This article and video is so true! I actually thought about this a while ago, so I changed my privacy settings to where you can only see my name and profile picture. I don’t really party, drink, or do anything like that so I don’t have much to hide. I would just rather it stay private then have an employeer on my page. I do have a different school on my profile, so I will be changing that to the correct one just in case.
I completely agree with this article and video. I feel people should not expose so much information on social sites like they do. Keep private things private and make good choices when posting things.
Facebook can really hurt you, and even with friends that you have on your page. I agree with Laquettam you never know who is looking because they couls be friends with someon you know and still see what’s on your page.I had to delect mines because i had a freinds and family that wrote all kinds of things on thier page. plus i had block someone on my page and they syill got on it. I think facebook, myspace any of those site that people can look you up on is bad for you. I even get upset with my granddaughter when she is on facebook saying somethings she isnt suppose to be saying and i keep getting phone calls people saying to me did you see what your daughter put on facebook, and I tell them I dont want to know cause I already know what she is saying.
This was a great article on Facebook and privacy. Alot of people do not realize employers look at their Facebook pages. I have seen many pages and they can be dirty and obscene. Some pages shouldn’t even be out there, but since they are we have to remind people that others can view your pages and there’s too. The video shows how to monitor your page by allowing certain information to be seen by a potential employer. In the video it also stated that the employer may read comments your friends leave to you and base their hiring decision off of these as well. The information I was loud and clear; BE CAREFUL what you put on your Facebook page. If you keep it clean the first time around, you don’t have to clean it up later.
I found this article to be very informative. I don’t have anything on my wall that is distasteful, but I will be watching closely what others may post concerning me.
Good information. I would not put anything in my profile or post to my wall something that would be considered distasteful.
Facebook is a useful tool, but can be a harmful tool. As the video and article states, it is not smart to display such personal and potenetially condeming information on the webstie. I see facebook used for all of the wrong reasons very often. The privacy options lesson was very helpful for people that do not know that they can change the privacy settings on the site. My page has ALWAYS been private just because their are so many crazy people out there!!!! LOL!!!
I agree completely these days you see all kinds of things on peoples facebook profiles that can turn you off. I always try to keep my self professional in any thing I do when I know there is an audience. I think some people just dont think before they post things that may cause people to view them in a negative way.
This is very good information. I always try to keep any information about me private because you never know who is searching for you!
This article about keeping your information private on facebook was good. Employers may look at your information. It is just common sense that information that will put you in a bad light should not be shared. The video instructed us on how to keep this information private. This will make it easier to find a job. I am looking for work so I will keep this in mind.
OST289ES
I agree– the video was very informative. However, I do not like social networking; it’s too invasive for me.
I agree with what was said in the article and in the video. You never know who’s out there looking at your information. It’s best to keep all those “late night outings,” off the internet. The video also mentioned how to keep your information private, but I think that mostly everyone does that.
This article and video is so true. I had read up on what is put on social networking sites could hurt you in finding a job. so I always try not to put too much information. I never try to put anything harsh and many times I avoid be friends with people I don’t know.
As a a person who has pre-screened employees for hiring in the past, I can definitely say these sights can often do more harm than good. That is because so many people forget about the fact that everything you place onto the Web is traceable. I have a Facebook account but it is more to see what others are up to. People need to remember that you never who has access to your information. I use the privacy setting on any website I use, but this is just for the novice users. If someone with experience wants your information, including employers, they can get it. Remember to keep it discreet. This applies while looking for a job and while employed. It is a good rule to live by.
I agree completely these days you see all kinds of things on peoples facebook profiles that can turn you off. I always try to keep my self professional in any thing I do when I know there is an audience. I think some people just dont think before they post things that may cause people to view them in a negative way.