Entry Level Job Seekers - It's Time To Reconsider the Web
July 26, 2006 - In a recent survey, CollegeGrad.com, the
#1 Entry Level Job site, found that 47% of college grad job seekers who
use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have either
already changed or plan to change the content of their pages as a result
of their job search.
"There is a growing trend in the number of employers who are Googling
candidates to research for additional information," said Brian Krueger,
President of CollegeGrad.com. "This trend has now spilled over to the
use of Internet social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook,
for screening potential candidates."
MySpace has become the most popular social networking site in the
world, with more than 95 million members. It accounts for 80% of all visits
to online social networking sites, according to Wikipedia. Facebook
has the largest number of registered users among college-focused
networking sites, also according to Wikipedia.
Are social networking sites private or public? It depends on who you
ask.
"It violates the privacy of the applicants," said Shantice Bates, a
Mass Communication Major from Virginia Commonwealth University. "A
person's MySpace or Facebook pages really have nothing to do with their work
personality."
Yet the information is still in the public domain. Is it truly
private? "The thought of an employer reviewing your information can be a very
scary thought to a candidate, especially in the case of a college
student or recent grad," commented Krueger. "But as long as the information
is posted publicly, it is available to others and could potentially be
a liability to you in your job search. It could keep you from getting
the job. Or, worse yet, from even getting the interview in the first
place - and usually you wouldn’t even know why."
So what about the employee who was asked to change the content of her
MySpace page as a condition of her continued employment? Sound a little
invasive?
Steven Jungman, Division Director of ChaseSource, LP explained that a
client of theirs conducted an Internet search for a current project,
using the code name of the project as the keyword. Surprisingly, a
project team member’s MySpace page was found in the search results. Not only
had she listed her role in the project as her current work experience,
but also included on the site were some very revealing photographs of
her in addition to other very personal information. She was required to
remove mention of the employer and the project as a condition of her
continued employment.
"My professional recommendation is that individuals realize that the
World Wide Web is exactly that, and personal information is a key click
away," said Jungman. "Common sense should prevail when someone posts
something on the web that they would not put on a resume."
Krueger recommends, "Entry level job seekers who use MySpace and
Facebook should update their pages to reflect their job search image. If you
don’t want information seen by employers, don’t publish it publicly."
Those who have followed the prevailing advice and cleaned up their
personal Web pages have been rewarded, sometimes using the Internet to
their networking advantage. Consider Catherine Germann, a 2005 Information
Technology graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology. While she
was in the midst of her job search, she was contacted out of the blue
by a recruiter. He had seen Germann's resume on a job board and
promptly Googled her name, finding her personal website, her live journal and
noticed that they had a mutual friend. Germann had already cleaned up
her personal pages and adjusted the privacy settings to project a more
professional image. Her site helped her in a positive way to build a
potential job connection.
"I always advise my friends to clean up their pages, even if they
aren't using their name," said Germann. "There are plenty of ways to figure
out who someone is even if they are hiding behind a nondescript screen
name."
Krueger advises college grad job seekers to beware of the image they
project. "College grad job seekers should avoid anything that might
cause a recruiter to say ‘Yikes!’ when they found you on the Web," said
Krueger. "Like it or not, MySpace and Facebook are public sites. Instead
of posting information and photos from that all night party, job
seekers can stand out from the crowd by using these sites as an opportunity
to generate a positive first impression. If you wouldn’t put it in your
resume, don’t put it on the Web."
Following are the overall survey results:
Have you changed your content at MySpace or Facebook because of your
job search?
- No - 39.9%
- Yes - 25.9%
- No, but I plan to - 9.4%
- I don't use either MySpace or Facebook - 24.8%
The survey was conducted nationally using an online poll placed on the
CollegeGrad.com home page during June 2006. The results are based on
more than 1600 respondents.
About CollegeGrad.com:
is the #1 entry level job site on the Internet and is
the leader in the field of entry level job search. Brian Krueger is
President and Founder of CollegeGrad.com and author of the best-selling
book for entry level job search, College Grad Job Hunter.
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