Social networking sites pose potential threat to job seekers

When Shenida Adams first came to ECU, social networking sites were the new "it thing" to do. To keep up with the latest craze, she immediately took a part in this new cyber world.

"It seems cool to have a Web page that can reflect on my own unique individuality," said Adams.

Among the many social networking sites, Black Planet, MySpace, and others, Facebook became the most popular to many students on ECU's campus. The main appeal was that Facebook was exclusively for college students.

"It was a great way to keep in touch with friends who went to different schools," Adams said.

However, as Facebook became even more popular, it became open to high school students, and eventually anyone with an e-mail address.

Lorna Poe, a junior at ECU, initially joined one of the social networking communities to keep up with old friends.

While she likes how the sites keep track of all of her friends' birthdays, Poe is a little wary of how open things are.

"The mini-feeds [on Facebook] tell way too much," she said, referring to the list of individual changes that friends have made on their profiles. These informational updates can range from pictures added, relationship status changes and a new blog post.

Potential employers and others who hold authoritative positions are aware of these sites, and are doing checks on potential employees or subordinates. Investigative reports conducted by CBS News found that about 20 percent of employers typically scan online profiles, including pictures on social networking sites. By simply typing in one's name on Google or other search engines, has made it easier for employers to find these profiles.

Adams has mixed feelings about companies checking the profiles of potential employees.

"People should have their privacy rights, but then again a company shouldn't want an employee who reflects the company to have explicit or inappropriate things on their profile pages," Adams said.

While many may feel that what is on their profile should not be a problem, under the USA PATRIOT Act, certain companies have the legal right to search the profiles of potential employees.

The USA PATRIOT Act, which President George W. Bush signed in 2001 to go into effect, is aimed to allow law enforcement to go through e-mail, telephone records and the like to cut down on the attempts at terrorism.

CNN lists a few Do's and Don'ts to keep in mind the next time you log onto a social networking site.

• Don't talk negatively about current and/or previous employers. It's not a good thing to do at an actual job interview and it's definitely not good to post blogs about how you hate your boss.

• Don't forget that others can see your friends. Be aware of the posts that your friends may put on your page. If someone's profile name contains explicit language, they should not be listed as a top friend for potential employees to see.

• Do clean up your profile. Don't wait until you've left a job interview to clean your profile page. Review your pictures and quotes now to see if anything needs to be updated or taken off.

• Do join groups. Joining groups are a great way to network. However be careful of what groups you join. Employers would rather have someone who's a part of a group that reflects hard work and dedication than one that tells how you can hold all of your liquor.

• In this new day and age, someone's profile is a reflection of who they are, so be sure to keep it up with care.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.