Have you ever vented your frustration about something on Facebook or a similar social networking site?  We are sure most people will have at some stage.

The growth of social networking in the last decade has resulted in it becoming one of the most popular ways of communicating with friends and colleagues as well as clients and provides an opportunity to publicly publish your own opinions.

Employers have been using these sites as a means of doing background checks as part of their interview process, with recent studies suggesting that as many as 3 in 10 employers have someone dedicated to looking into your social media profiles and this doesn’t stop at LinkedIn.  So, it is important that you represent yourself across all social media in the best way possible.  It is known that before an interview, employers will be searching you online and looking to see what kind of online persona you have as well as checking to see what other people are posting about you.  The way you act on social media can affect your professional life from the pages you like, to the photos and videos you share, so be careful before you hit post!

Helpful pointers to remember when using social media

1. Make any profile settings private. This should hopefully mean that it will only be people that you know who are able to view your profile.  It is probably best that not everyone is able to have a look at your photographs from your recent stag/hen weekend in Amsterdam!
2. Do not make any work-related comments, especially if they are negative. This includes comments about your employer and fellow employees.
3. If you are posting comments on your own profile or another profile, first consider how it could be construed or even more importantly, misconstrued.

You shouldn’t look at social media as a problem, there are things you can do on your accounts that increase your chances of employment and ensure you stand out in a positive way.  On the other side of things, if you have no social media accounts at all this can be seen as a negative for potential employers.  The trick is getting the balance right and always thinking if what you are about to post represents you in a positive light.