Facebook and Employers

Here's a screen shot of my new professional facebook page!

Screen, a photo by christy267 on Flickr.

It's becoming more and more common for recruiters to do online research about their potential new employees. Therefore, it's important for any graduating student to ensure there is some professional information about themselves available online, rather than just their own facebook profile. Drunk photos and dirty jokes posted on your wall don't do much to impress your future boss. However having an online resume, some appropriate pictures of yourself doing interesting things, and wall posts featuring intelligent conversations can really make you look more mature, responsible, and reliable.

Last semester my friend Hilary posted her blog and facebook page. Reading her post made me realize that it is important to include information and pictures that are not only appropriate, but also represent your interests. For example, if you are hoping to get a position at a company where you need to communicate with farmers about their cattle, you should be demonstrating your excellent writing skills on your page, and including information about yourself that relays your experience with cattle. If the employer sees nothing on your page indicating that you are interested in cows, they might think you are not very committed to the industry. It's also a great idea to show all of your many interests on your facebook page, to convey that you are a diversified individual.

While facebook profiles are public, employers should still use the information on them responsibly and fairly. In a news article by Business Week, Greg Fish says that "...employers should not use information obtained from Facebook, blogs, or other Internet sites in ways that would be intrinsically unethical or illegal". It is the recruiters responsibility to remember that not all information posted on the internet is accurate, and that people use the web to portray themselves in a way that may not necessarily be true. He also states "When companies use these profiles to find not only a professional but also an ideological match for a job, they’re misleading themselves and building ill will with talented prospective employees, who might decline to apply for a job..." Therefore, I think care must be taken on both sides of a facebook profile when it comes time to apply for jobs. The prospective employee should ensure they are portraying a message they don't mind their interviewer seeing, and the interviewer should take everything on the web with a grain of salt, and remain respectful of an individual's personal life.