Is Your Facebook Profile Holding Back Your Career?

"Had too many beers on friday night and lounged around all Saturday with a hangover eating pizza and pepsi!" 

Bit of a laugh amongst friends right? But who else is reading your profile?

You have spent four years in college, worked minimum wage to support your studies, spent $400 dollars on a new suit and sent your resume out to a hundred organisations and have finally landed your dream job interview. You feel your interview went well and are devastated to find out you have been once again been unsuccessful. You jump straight on to facebook to tell the world the bad news.

"Bummed out again! Off to the bar to get tanked"

Sasha Robinson Of Job Interview Solutions writes " It is well known fact in the industry that recruiters, like the rest of the world, check facebook profiles when evaluating potential recruits. It gives them the best possible overview of a candidates personality and social behaviour that may not be evident throughout the job interview process"

Sasha recommends a complete overhaul of your facebook or twitter habits leading up to a job interview. "The obvious solution is to restrict access to your profile but there is a way to turn social media to your advantage when trying to ace your job interview" she writes.

"Knowing that employers are dropping in on your profile gives you the opportunity to turn the tables on them and present yourself as a confident, respectable and valuable asset to their company"

Sasha adds the following tips,

• Treat your facebook profile like you would the job interview, only include things that you wish your employer to read.
• Change your profile picture to one similar to the one you have included in your resume. 
• Clean up your wall and replace your comments with ones that will inspire your prospective employer. "Off to the gym this morning then lunch with some college buddies" should replace "Getting over another hangover then off to do it all again with Jono and Dano" 
• Change your "Likes" to positive activities such as "exercise, personal achievements and valuable friendships"
• Your "Work and Education" should read like your resume.

By following Sasha's simple advice Facebook can be a powerful tool in your job interview preparation success! Sasha can be contacted directly at sasha@flightdeckconsulting.com

Read more tips and advice on job interview preparation by visiting www.jobinterview-solutions.com