Privacy Warning!
Editor’s note: If anybody thought we were kidding about companies Googling or checking online profiles of potential hires, here it is … straight from our own HR gal!
Internet communities have become extremely popular among college students.
Sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com seem to be the perfect place for people to express themselves, keep in touch with friends, share thoughts, and post pictures of fun times. However, as a job seeker you should be very careful about what you are posting on your internet profiles. These sites are becoming a new tool for recruiters to truly get a glimpse of the person they are thinking of hiring. I am hearing more and more stories of how potential employers are turning to these online profiles for employment screening.
While MySpace has already received much publicity for its lackadaisical viewing restrictions, Facebook has traditionally been considered safe due to the site requiring a “.edu” email to have access and even then only granting viewing privilages to those in your network. However, recently Facebook has allowed companies to register under their own networks, making it all the more important to monitor your profile content and privacy settings.