CareerBuilder just released the details on an interesting survey they gave.
Out of 2,600 hiring managers surveyed, 45% research your application on social networks. Another 11% said they plan on starting soon. What is also interesting is that that 45% was 22% last year. The trend is growing fast!
All told, that means you have a greater than 1 in 2 chance of being facebook’d, twitter’d, myspace’d, friendster’d, etc on your next job search.
For us, this makes complete sense. Your social presence helps define you. Whether or not you use a tool that helps you define your professional social presence, you need to divide up your social activities into personal and professional “buckets.” Make sure your personal bucket is protected from random searches. For example, set your Facebook privacy/visibility to “Only Friends.” That way, employers can’t see your personal life unless they request friends status.
Myself? I keep my personal life on Facebook with “Only Friends” access. Then I talk about my work and the industry on my blogs and twitter account.
Check out the CareerBuilder survey here.
About the author
Mike Wille - I'm the head techie here with a passion and hunger for all things digital. I got into programming because I love to create and couldn't cut a straight line in wood shop.