Did you know that some employers run social media background checks? Did you know that potential employers may be able to see both public and private social media content?

Do:

• Create an online presence: Create profiles on social media AND on LinkedIn where you can showcase your skills and experience.
• Be consistent: Does the employment history on your résumé match what’s on your LinkedIn profile? Keep your professional presence up-to-date.
• Google your name: There’s a ton of information an employer can find about you. It's better if you know it’s out there before they do.
• Be careful what share: You don’t know who might read it.
• Remember, the internet is forever: whatever you post, it's going to be very difficult to erase, and can be accessed by any future employer at any time.

Don’t:

• Post about work: Employers are checking Facebook, Twitter and other sites. If you post it, someone at work will probably read it.
• Use social media to get into fights: Disagreements are private and should be handled off-line. Having a disagreement on social media looks unprofessional and immature.
• Forget your social media privacy settings: It’s always best to keep it hidden/restricted to certain groups.
• Connect with everyone: Quality is better than quantity. Ask yourself two questions.
  • How can they help me?
  • How can I help them?
• Spend time networking at work: Companies can monitor your time on networking sites.
  

In a CareerBuilder.com survey, 70% of companies used social networking profiles to screen out candidates. Of those who ran social media screening, "43 percent have found content that caused them to hire candidates, and 57 percent have found content that caused them not to". Top reasons employers cited for not hiring a candidate were:

• 40% - candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
• 36% - candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
• 31% - candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion etc.
• 30% - candidate was linked to criminal behavior
• 27% - candidate lied about qualifications