Recruiters take advantage of your social networking accounts!

Apart from its various benefits, social networking sites have proved to be a great tool for recruiters’ searching for right candidates. Point to be noted- I am not taking about the professional networking sites.

Yes, this means I am taking about networking sites like Facebook, twitter, myspace!

To find a talent who meets all the criterias needed has always been a big challenge. On the other hand, where all the management books tell us to keep our professional and personal lives separate, practically we all know how far it is possible. Of course, let us not talk about the exceptions… In addition, frankly speaking, whether you agree or not, someway or the other, both lives are dependent on each other!

Therefore, the bottom line is that recruiters have learned to take advantage of this. However, on the other hand professionals feel that social networking sites are not the right place to interact with employers/ recruiters as/or are uncomfortable sharing private information.

I do not intend to discuss the privacy issues with the social networking sites right now, though when it comes to employment and social networking sites, it is estimated that more than one-third of the top 100 employers have a Facebook Page for recruitment purposes, many of them with more than 1,000 fans.

So, the question arises – why are employers/ recruiters interested in connecting with the candidates/ recruits on social networks if candidates feel uncomfortable?

Statistics show that social networking sites have proved to be more engaging than the professional networking sites. With sites like Facebook, employers create business page strategically for the purpose of recruitments. They know that if they have some interesting content on these business pages, it will lead to comments, discussions and possibly more personal interactions. Naturally, this two-way communication method helps them to get connected to the right candidates.

As social networking sites offer a comparatively a large audience with its active users globally, have the characteristic of an open network comparatively and requires no premium accounts to use certain features unlike professional networking sites, they are most preferred! In addition, having an active presence on sites like Facebook is certainly a great start for employers looking to attract and communicate with young talent. Apart from this, social networking sites can make life easier for spammers and stalkers too!

Hence, it is better to be thoughtful about what you post. Be cautious on what information is shared on your profile and make sure that you do not put your safety or your future at risk. Share the types of things that you would not regret posting later.

The words and images post on the Internet may be available for years and future employers in addition to identity thieves, spammers, and stalkers may view your profile, taking advantage of it. Criminals can use your information provided about a person’s birthday, location, routine, hobbies, and interests to impersonate a trusted friend or convince the unsuspecting that they have the authority to access personal or financial data. They can use such information to guess your account passwords. Well, this is why it is advised never have a password that uses the name of your pet, favourite band, hobby, birthday, or something else easily known about you. Well if you do so, stalkers will really appreciate your help if you post your daily routine and whereabouts online!

Therefore, when deciding whether to post something, remember that the more information malicious people have about you, the easier it is for them to take advantage of you. Also, limit who can see what you post. If you do not want random users to see your contact information, you can limit the publication of that data. Just change your settings. You can also block users from having any contact with you should the need arise. Most of the social networking sites offer similar ways to restrict access to personal information, but in all cases, the principle is the same: do not advertise to the world what you are doing or where you live. There is a possibility that even if you limit who can see what you post, there are ways others can get around it to view your profile anyway.

The best way treat these social networking sites is like a free place to promote yourself personally as well as professionally while staying connected with both friends, relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances.

It is never too late to learn to use your online profile to your advantage! Right?