Over 400 million people from over 180 countries currently use Facebook on a monthly basis. The power of this social media, along with others such as MySpace, LinkedIn and even YouTube is growing more and more powerful everyday. The influence of Facebook has not escaped the workplace, in fact, more and more hiring managers are using it as a way to "check-up" on their employees. Employers are also using it as tool to determine if you are the kind of employee they want to hire. I have spoken with 10 hiring managers in the last few weeks and 7 of them check Facebook before they extend an offer to a new employee. Moreover, 5 of them check Facebook to "check-up" on their current employees. In a perfect world all of our "personal" information would remain out of view of individuals whom we wish not see it, but unfortunately that is not the case. Facebook privacy settings are changing all the time and if you do not stay abreast of them you could be missing out on potential jobs or even risk losing your job. Below are few things you can do to make sure your personal life does not interfere with your work life.
1) Do not post anything on the internet that you do feel comfortable with your employer or potential employer seeing.
2) Go to the following websites. They will give you the knowledge you need to make sure your private information is protected.
http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_easy_steps_to_stay_safe_and_private_on_facebook.php
Finally, and mostly importantly, the information that non-employers can find out about you can be very dangerous. Many individuals use the information you post on these social media sites as a way to steal your identity and in some cases use this to break in to your home. Be smart, be well informed and you can avoid all the potential dangers that you face by posting personal information on Facebook.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment