Putting your best (virtual) foot forward

Are you applying for a promotion or considering a career change? Do you belong to any online communities or social networking sites (Facebook, Friendster, or MySpace, to name a few)? If so, remember the Internet is NOT private space!

If you’re engaged in the job search/promotion process, consider conducting a “tech audit” of yourself. Be proactive in your job search and ask yourself:

• Is the e-mail address on your resume current and professional?
• Have you conducted an Internet search on yourself? Are you comfortable with what you found?
• Do you belong to a social networking site? Do you have your own website or blog? If so, are you comfortable with potential employers viewing your website, profile, pictures, groups, friends’ comments, etc?
• Do you follow the rule, “If you don’t want your grandmother to know about it, don’t put it in an e-mail or on the Internet”?

The Spring 2006 issue of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Journal published survey results that indicated employers are going online to seek information about candidates and they are using what they find to assist them in making employment decisions. “Five minutes on a candidate’s social networking profile can often provide more information about his or her judgment than an hour talking with a carefully chosen reference.”

If you belong to any on-line communities and are in the middle of a job search or promotion, consider using the site(s) to your advantage. Make sure photographs, comments, and groups in your profile are professional in nature—use the site to network and sell yourself.