YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE AND THE JOB SEARCH PROCESS

It is impossible today not to have an online presence.  Whether meeting new friends, locating old ones, or posting a resume on one of the multiple job seeking websites, the Internet has become both the friend and foe of the job seeker.  The information below will help you think about your online presence through email, websites, blogging, and a new phenomenon, the online social networking site (i.e. Facebook).  Facebook is now the fastest growing online directory/social-networking site on the Internet.  85% of college students use Facebook, and most check their profile on a daily basis.  And it isn’t just Facebook.  MySpace, Friendster, and others all share many commonalities, including risks.  Do you know who is looking at YOUR profile?

Emailing:  cutiepatootie@domain.com; trublem8ker@domain.com; lazybum@domain.com; pothead@domain.com.  Notice anything similar?  All of these email addresses would give an employer (or anyone who didn’t know the address’s owner, really) pause when entrusting that person with the responsibility of a job!  When selecting an email address to use for professional purposes, make sure you use something appropriate, that doesn’t expire anytime soon, and that you’d be OK with your mom seeing!

"Google"ing:  Take a few moments and type “your name” into the search engine of your choice.  Using the quotation marks will help refine your search for your name. Chances are, you’ll see items that may have been posted years ago.  If you see you wouldn't want the public to have access to, consider asking that site’s owner to remove content.  Of course, best practice is to be aware of what is going on the web before it actually launches!

"Facebook"ing:  See below for helpful information on being safe while using social networking sites.  Be aware:
· More and more employers are using these sites to do “candidate reconnaissance” before making hiring decisions.
· Using the site’s privacy settings are good, but are not fail-safe. 
· Barnard College does NOT make a policy of monitoring students on these sites.  But this doesn’t mean that individual administrators and faculty have not logged on and viewed your profile.

Blogging:  Several career experts say that people get their jobs through networking.  Just as your positive reputation can be an asset in the job search process, negative statements you may have shared about a company, a particular person, or an issue could come back to haunt you in an increasingly global and networked world!  If you’re not absolutely sure you want it read, don’t post it!

TO FACEBOOK OR NOT TO FACEBOOK

Why are social networking sites so popular?
1. Keeping in touch.   While it lacks the intimacy of face-to-face contact, it is a great way to track your friends and family!
2. Validation.  These sites allow us to connect our profiles to those of “friends”.  But some people may collect linkages/friends to prove popularity or assuage insecurities.

What are the risks of belonging to social networking sites?
1. Inappropriate information.  Employers are known to view profiles of prospective applicants and current employees. According to a 2005 survey of 102 executive recruiters by ExecuNet, an executive job-search and networking organization, 75% of recruiters use search engines to uncover information about candidates, and 26% of recruiters have eliminated candidates because of information found online.
2. Harassment:. There have been reports of offensive or harassing groups formed to complain about fellow students, TA’s, professors, security officers, and administrators.
3. Privacy/Safety. Some sites allow students to post phone numbers, class schedules, room numbers, hometowns, job sites, and birth dates; information that could be used for stalking or identity theft. Did you know that these sites can also sell your information?
4. Risk Analysis.  Currently, insurance actuaries, mortgage lenders, and landlords scrutinize many aspects of your life to determine your worthiness for their coverage, money, and space.  Information you provide freely online may be fodder for their risk calculations.

Ways to stay secure and still have fun connecting:
1. Read any site’s privacy policy on which you create a profile.
2. Cancel your membership if you are no longer interested in the service.  If Facebook goes out of business, your content could be sold to others.
3. Remember that communication is very contextual, a pejorative word or phrase that you often use in playful conversations with your friends may have very different meanings or connotations if said to or overheard by others.
4. Establish ground rules for yourself.  This may help you rule out any questionable material.  Decide you will not complain about work, not mention drug and alcohol use
or anything about your sex life, as examples.
5. Use pseudonyms.  If you are still uncertain about how your online profile might affect your career, or just do not feel that a potential employer has a right to delve into your personal life, stay anonymous!  It is also a good idea to use pseudonyms for other people including friends, significant others, etc.
6. Do not spend more than 25 minutes a day on Facebook.  This can help avoid those tense moments when reality and “Facebook reality” collide.
7. Career Development has always reminded you to professionalize your email addresses and voice mail greetings; this is another step in the process of responding to an ever-changing online global network!