January/February 2007

Social Networking Sites: Enter At Your Own Risk

By Amina Sonnie

The number of social networking Web sites has mushroomed since they first appeared beginning in 2002. According to online encyclopedia Wikipedia, more than 300 social networking sites exist, including Facebook and MySpace, which boasts more than 130 million members and is the second-most viewed site in the world, according to Internet tracking company comScore Networks. Most of these networks were designed to bring together existing friends in our ever-mobile world or to meet new friends. Users of the social networking sites share messages, music, photos, personal profiles, videos, etc.

Some warnings

Many new entry-level engineers have been aware of and have been using social networking sites since their undergraduate days. And as they have transitioned into their new professional lives, they have continued using these sites to share information about job searches, interviews, employers, personal life, music and more with friends. After all, who’s reading this information outside of your friends and family, right?

Stories about employers using the Web sites to check up on potential hires abound. Some employers have been shocked by the images and writing they see: excessive alcohol use, under-age drinking, risky behavior, derogatory comments, drug use, revealing/nude photos, employer bashing, and so on. Behaviors that raise eyebrows and concerns about your character are serious business for many employers. If an employer is to take the information they see at face value, then questions about your judgment, maturity and professionalism come into play. Prospective employers may feel that those behaviors go against the values of the company.

How do employers find this information on sites that are supposed to be private? Easy. If you are both alumni of the same college, the employer can use his .edu account from your alma mater. If the employer is taking a class at your college, he is issued an .edu e-mail account. Employers may not search these sites specifically but can Google your name to see what info pops up. An employer may be checking on his teen’s MyFace Web site and come across your information. Although MySpace.com allows its members to create a private community, it also warns (in the “Safety Tips” section) that your profile and other information are considered public information. The cry from users that “it’s personal information” becomes a head-scratcher when that information is on the World Wide Web.

Your Career Builders profile may be the professional face you wear online, but sites like MySpace or Facebook may be perceived as the “real” you. Many college students and entry-level employees may think that these social networking sites are not part of the adult world and forget that they are being viewed as an adult by their employer. To put a different face on the “real,” the first thing you may want to do is Google yourself. What comes up first? Is it true? Is it questionable? Can it be changed or removed? Is your name on a group photo you took with friends or co-workers on that wild night last year in Las Vegas? If so, what happened in Las Vegas may not stay in Las Vegas. It may end up on the computer screen of your present or prospective employer. Is there a “block comments” feature on your social networking site that you can use? You may want to ensure that the information on your site is suitable for most adult readers — including your grandmother!

LinkedIn.com and Ryze.com are just two online social networks for professionals where you can meet peers and make corporate connections. These types of sites can be helpful to find out more about your career field, training and jobs. Since these are social sites it’s easier to discuss your career interests and skills and future goals with network members. As with offline networking, you get to meet people who share your career interests, who know someone who shares that interest/skill, or may have job leads.

Our internet-savvy world does not allow us to live in a vacuum. Information on the internet is available for all — whether you like it or not.

• Be prepared for any prying eyes (not paranoid, just prepared)

• Be careful of the type of information you make available for the world to see

• Be mindful of the image it presents especially if you are actively seeking employment

Social networking can be a wonderful way to keep in touch with old and new friends, but some discretion is a good thing.

Amina Sonnie is Career Experience Coordinator at the University of Arizona's College of Engineering in Tucson. Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.