Social Networking Sites & Your Job Search

From Facebook to Twitter and from LinkedIn to MySpace, there are plenty of online social networking groups to aid you in your job search. However, when using these services, you’ll want to be careful that your online identity is portraying the right image of you. The Career Services Office has listed a few simple tips to help you use these resources while ensuring you portray a positive professional image:

Tips on Creating a Professional Online Profile:

• Think of it as personalizing your desk
• Look for professional connections — former coworkers, faculty, staff that you develop a rapport with, students you work with on projects
• Add friends selectively
• Add applications selectively
• Edit your profile and security settings
• Use your profile to discuss interests related to your career goals
• Join groups related to your field
• Set your photos to Private so that only certain selected people can see them. (Remember that you have to do this for each individual album under Privacy Settings in Facebook.)
• Be selective about which photos you post on the Internet. Think about the consequences should they end up in the wrong hands. (This includes pictures of you tagged by someone else.)