Your online activity may be costing you a job.

AP007

Flyonthewall wrote: »

So he adds them as a friend? Still not how things should be done in business.

Does he use a fake profile or his own? If you've applied for a job and some guy adds you who works for that company (assuming that's on his profile) I'd be thinking that's a little bit odd/dodgy.

They can only request an add not add you unless you add then. More fool the person who adds a stranger.

Flyonthewall

AP007 wrote: »

What fool adds people they don't know and never talk to? How odd.

It's never been done to me ever.

AP007 wrote: »

They can only request an add not add you unless you add then. More fool the person who adds a stranger.

I know they'd have to add them in that case but many would.

I've added people I don't know before but only for games and I block them seeing all posts, they only see is the game posts lol. Never added a random request before I don't think, although they tend to be odd. Someone outside of the UK with no friends listed and no posts. Weird.

Anyway, some people would reply to messages or accept the request to find out who they are, not because they're just happy to add anyone and everyone. They may not think to block them from things.

Starlet

AP007 wrote: »

Ah you say that but anyone who searches for you say on Facebook can see your profile photo and your cover photo.

You can get around this by completely deleting all cover photos. I've noticed that's what a lot of people are doing now. That's what I've done.

So in the end, you're left with a profile picture which only your friends can see, and nothing else because you've deleted your cover photo. So they can't snoop. HAH! (Not that I have anything to hide...;) )

J_i_m

Social networking can be a good tool. But like with everything else it needs to be used sensibly.

Many companies have a networking presence as another way to interact with their market.

So to presume that we should eschew our personal accounts lest an employer thinks ill of us or finds something which puts them off us doesn't really make sense.

If you're a person who insists on putting questionable material on or behaving badly on your accounts, then the only person to blame is yourself.

Going on to FB to post "I called in sick today, but I'm really at Alton Towers" is not particularly clever. And who ever does that and gets caught out probably deserves the consequences.

Maybe a potential employer will look you up on FB, maybe they are looking for dirt, but they'll only find dirt if you put it on there in the first place. If you behave appropriately and share your extra curricular hobbies then that could show positive attributes that could be a benefit to their company.

So there are upsides as well.

And besides, if an employer is going to find a reason not to employ you, then they're going to do that whether you have a FB account or not.

System

I have FB locked down, and when I started I went and blocked every single person I work with so they can't add me either. If anyone asks I just tell them I don't really use it.

I also do t post anything relating to work just to be on the safe side.

AP007

Starlet wrote: »

You can get around this by completely deleting all cover photos. I've noticed that's what a lot of people are doing now. That's what I've done.

So in the end, you're left with a profile picture which only your friends can see, and nothing else because you've deleted your cover photo. So they can't snoop. HAH! (Not that I have anything to hide...;) )

My cover photo is never a photo of me, my friends or family. It's always a photo I have take of something with no people in it unless they are in a band

Denning.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

If I was that HR consultant I wouldn't be boasting about that. The only way to get access to all private FB accounts would be through hacking.

Or befriending them using a fake profile. Or befriending a friend of theirs.

getmore4less

In the real world your network is your friend and potentially your enemy.

How you behave in public, at work, with friends, family and on-line travels with you throughout your life.

On line activity is NOT private and never will be and has a persistence that can come back to haunt you.

In most cases it is not what people do that is the problem it is that they post about it.

FB is a public, if you are a member you are public(by whatever names you use on FB).

fed_up_and_stressed

Not just facebook. Some people on here post some vile bullying posts next to their happy smiling faces ! Not the brightest thing to do ! Chuckle !

laurel7172

The word now at professional conferences (in my line of work at least) is that if you aren't in charge of your online profile, somebody else is.