What does your Facebook page say about you? If it says you're a unique individual who has various interests -- whether it be hobbies, movies, books or travel -- chances are good an employer will want to get to know you more. But as Jon Gelberg, chief content officer for Blue Fountain Media, has found in the years he's spent checking into prospective job applicants via the Internet, not every job seeker is putting his or her best (online) face forward.
"With the digital world now and sites like Facebook, employers are researching job applicants online," said Gelberg, whose New York-based company focuses on online reputation management, Web design and development and social media. "One picture of one person drunk at a party may not turn off an employer; but if it's pages upon pages of it, a red flag does come up."
With numerous college graduates preparing to descend on the job market, now might be the best time for job seekers to do some spring cleaning of their social networking sites. At the same time, students who actively are looking for jobs or preparing to apply to college might want to expand their social media profiles to show off their skills, activities, interests, hobbies and educational background.
"College admissions may be looking at whether this is an interesting person who will add to the life of their campus," Gelberg said. "That's when it's almost better for people to be quirky on their Facebook pages and show who they really are."
Ohio University is one school that recommends students pay attention to what they're putting on their social networking sites. The university's Job Search Manual tells students "If it's OK for Mom, it's OK for Facebook."
"It's easy to deduce that if an employer is comparing two candidates who are closely matched in terms of GPA and experience, and one has questionable photos and text on his or her online profile and the second does not, that the second student will get the job offer," the manual states. Included here are some tips for students, so they don't turn off potential employers and college recruiters.
THINGS TO TRASH: » Negative photos: One photo of a person with a drink in his or her hand may not seal a student's fate, but albums that contain numerous photos of a similar nature should be deleted.
"One picture of someone passed out on the floor may not be a dealbreaker, but employers look for patterns," he said.
» Bad grammar and spelling: Your friends may not notice if you fail to use the correct form of "there" or "their," but employers will, Gelberg said. The same can be said if you're using profanities or constantly making negative comments. "Those can quickly raise red flags," he said.
» Personal information: You also may want to consider what sort of personal information -- political involvement, sexual orientation or religious affiliation -- to reveal to an employer right off the bat. However, Gelberg advises job candidates to be themselves and not feel like they have to hide who they are in order to get a job. "If someone doesn't like something about you, then you probably don't want to work for that person anyway," he said.
THINGS TO KEEP OR ADD: » A blog or portfolio: If you love to write blogs, or you're a photographer with an online portfolio, make sure you include links on your Facebook page, Gelberg said.
"One of the great things about the Web is anyone can be a publisher now," he said. "Most any job these days will have some kind of online element to it, so if you can show you have an understanding of communicating online, as well as a sense of humor and creativity, all those can feed to your advantage."
» A LinkedIn account: Create a LinkedIn account, which allows you to list career and educational experience and build relationships with potential employers. Because LinkedIn is searchable, employers who are looking for a specific skill set or qualification you have listed could be led right to your profile.
» Information that shows who you are: Don't be afraid to include some information about your hobbies or interests.
"Employers want interesting people to work for them, so don't be afraid to share what books or movies or television shows you like," he said. Also keep Twitter in mind as another avenue to showcase your interests.
"It's a great way to share information by linking to YouTube or another website," he said. "If someone is on top of news, their Twitter feed will show that."