When employers Google your name, what do they find?

I thought this was a really good article in the current context of time, as most of us are into social networking it really makes sense like how one should really behave on the virtual platform or especiall in the age of social networking. To know what I am really talking about just read the article below and give your views.


Toni Feliciano, a Nova Southeastern University student, is excited about the summer job she landed in Target's executive internship program.

Before getting that offer, she sought coaching on how to interview and dress from communications specialist Teri Karst and she made sure her Facebook and MySpace online profiles were something she would want anyone to view.

"MySpace.com I use for my family and friends. I don't feel I disclose a lot. Other friends tell their whole lives," says Feliciano, 25, who has a year left at school. Since her father died in 2000, she has worked full time as an administrative assistant while attending college at night.

Profiles on MySpace can be made private by the user and Facebook viewers have to be "invited in" by the participant. But a Google search will reveal photos posted and friends on either site. Unless one exercises privacy controls, an entire profile can pop up via an Internet search on LinkedIn, for example.

As 2008 graduates leave high school and college for new opportunities, they should already have learned what they post on the Internet is never completely private. That photo posted of them downing shots at a party can come back to haunt them as job seekers.

Many recruiters, human resource professionals and hiring managers routinely Google job candidates for their Internet activity, including networking sites and blogs as part of their "background checks." They may be looking for clues to a candidate's character.

"You need to use discretion when posting," says Scott McKenna, branch manager for Accountemps, a recruiting firm in Fort Lauderdale. MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites are often used to post personal likes and dislikes, but a job seeker should also include professional highlights, he says.

Social networking sites and other Internet activity also can be used to the job hunter's advantage, serving as a marketing tool. Even student job hunters could post letters of recommendation, list volunteer work and include information that would put them in a positive light to potential employers.

McKenna cautions that before posting a resume on LinkedIn or another site, make sure it is proofread for spelling and other errors. An online resume will reflect well on you - or not, and mistakes could get picked up over and over again if the resume makes the rounds.

"A first impression means a lot," says Joe LoBello, a recruiter for Kramer Professional Staffing in Boca Raton. "We're going outside the normal boundaries and recruiting from social networking sites."

Recruiters often can search social networking sites by company or college to find potential job candidates.

"It's a great tool," he says. "If you reach out to somebody, it's a warm call."The people on LinkedIn may already know the person or have a friend in common. They're attractive job candidates because they're already employed and may not necessarily be looking for a job - until a better opportunity comes along.

Sue Romanos, president of Miami-based Careerxchange, takes a different view, making it a policy not to check a candidate's Internet activity. "We don't want to make a decision based on someone's personal information," she says.

Some job candidates announce their desire for a new job on their LinkedIn or other networking site. But remember your boss might be looking at that site, too.

"You need to think about what your purpose is on there," says Mark Neuberger, a lawyer with Foley & Lardner in Miami.

"You can manage your persona and reputation online," he says. Neuberger is on LinkedIn, for example, but is careful not to reveal his clients through connections on the site.

Karst, who helped Feliciano look for a job, warns not to forget old-fashioned networking, making contacts through industry associations and meetings. "As much as technology has given us . . . we are not connecting," she says.

She helps students practice a 30-second elevator speech to pitch themselves and learn interviewing skills.

Social networking "is another tool and they should be able to use it," she says. "In the end, I think it's all about connection."