Job Search & Career Blog

Myspace and your job search

June 4th, 2008

The Don’ts for Job Seekers With a MySpace Page

What should job seekers not have on their myspace

You are out looking for a job. You also have a MySpace account. Think the two can’t mix? Wrong. Employers are now using internet searches to find out relevant information about job seekers. If you have a public profile on MySpace, your current boss, or your hopeful new boss can find you online. What should job seekers not have on their MySpace pages? There are a few things that employers wouldn’t consider favorable.

• Drunken rants about last night
• Drug Use
• Theft
• Falsifying Information (ex: claiming you are rich)
• Misleading Information (ex: age, height, marital status)
• Contradicting information to your resume or job application (ex: employment history, job titles, education level)
• Rants about your current job or position

What else should job seekers not have posted on their MySpace page? Personal information that wouldn’t be needed on a resume or relevant to a job search should not be included for everyone to see.

• Social Security Numbers
• Phone Numbers
• Salary History
• Street Address
• Birthdays
• Marraige and Family Information
• Personal Hobbies Unrelated to the Job or Potential Job

If a job seeker has an online resume, what else should they not have posted on their MySpace if they provide a link to it.

• Inappropriate Content
• Inappropriate Language (Netspeak or Slang)
• Discriminatory Remarks or Pictures
• Non-relevant material to the job search in their blog.

Some last thoughts about what should job seekers not have posted on their MySpace if at all possible, or at least correct the errors.

• Comments from friends that may be deemed discriminatory or degrading
• Inappropriate language or remarks from friends
• Pictures of friends that may show unethical or illegal behavior
• Links to potentially damaging blogs, posts, pictures, or videos

A very simple rule for what job seekers should not have posted on their MySpace is this; if you would not feel comfortable showing certain pictures or content to a parent, judge, priest, or complete stranger, then it is probably too risky to place on your page during a job search. Remember, MySpace pages can also be a good, or bad addition to a resume or job application; especially if a link there is provided.

A few quick tips to clean up your profile while job hunting.

• Change your picture to a head shot (ex: a yearbook photo or business photo)
• Rewrite your profile to reflect your job search and employment goals
• Change privacy settings for any personal information to Private
• Ask your friends to clean up their pages for awhile
• Move the more ‘crazy’ friends down the list of friends.
• Blog about your job or career goals and searches

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 9:40 am and is filed under Job Search. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

One Response to “Myspace and your job search”

1. gwyneth holland Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 8:07 am

   A very useful article - with lots of good advice. I think it’s a great idea to include a link to an online CV in your profile.

   Just remember, though, that if a prospective new employer will be able to find so will others. So be very sure that you are willing for everybody to know all the information contained in your CV.

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