Online Posts Could Kill Your Career
According to career counselors, people who are concerned about their careers should be cautious about what they post on the Internet.
Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube provide opportunities for people to sabotage their hunt for a job during a recession that requires employers to be extra picky when choosing new employees.
"With social media, you can be vapid, boring and annoying with alarming frequency," said Patricia Vaccarino, owner of a Seattle public relations firm.
According to Vaccarino, many of her Facebook friends have posted about battles with drinking, colonoscopies, flatulence, and divorce.
This information makes friends cringe, imagine what it does to potential employers, she added.
Kurt Weyerhauser, a recruiter for Kensington Stone, said his human resources department has found pictures of candidates smoking pot, and postings of off-color jokes from potential employees.
According to Weyerhauser, the incidents become roadblocks to being hired, no matter how qualified someone may be.
Hiring these types of people could put the company in legal jeopardy, Weyerhauser said.
"If there is ever a problem with drug use or the harassment of coworkers the company could be liable," he told Reuters.
Hiring or promoting individuals with racist or sexist attitudes or those who have displayed drug use can result in a company being held negligent in hiring or retention, Weyerhauser said.
Weyerhauser also suggests that people obtain a professional looking email address.
"Nothing gives one more cause for pause than receiving a resume from an email address like ‘BigGoofyRuthie@xxxxxx.com’," he said.
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