Facebook Dos and Don'ts

These days, more and more people belong to the social networking site, Facebook , for professional networking purposes. As such, it is essential that your Facebook profile exudes professionalism as well:

Ensure that your profile photo is a tasteful one. After all, the last thing that you want to do is offend viewers when they look at your profile. In other words then, you should use discretion when you post a Facebook photo as you do want to maintain a respectful reputation.

Use your Facebook privacy settings in an appropriate manner. For instance, if you do not want your business contacts to see all of your “oh so witty” comments on your Facebook profile, it is a good idea to ensure that your privacy settings are adjusted accordingly. For example, you can adjust your privacy manners in such a way that only your close friends have access to your political and religious information. Along similar lines, you may also not want to disclose your birth year to professional colleagues.

Keep your Facebook status updates to a minimum. We all know people on Facebook that are guilty of “over reporting” via their Facebook statuses. For instance, it is never necessary to discuss what you are up to on a 24/7 basis. In fact, before writing any type of status update, you should ask yourself if your “Facebook friends” will find that potential status update interesting and informative.

Do not post unflattering digital photos. Although it may be fun for you to post all of your photos from last Saturday night on Facebook, it is essential to ask yourself whether or not these photos “paint” you and your friends in a professional light. You can also ask your friends – that appear in the photos- whether or not they would mind their photos being posted up on Facebook. Along similar lines, your friends may not appreciate you tagging photos of them that reveal them in an unfavorable light.

Overall then, while Facebook can be a powerful tool to utilize when you are actively pursuing a job search, it is advantageous to keep the previous tips in mind if you use Facebook professionally.

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Larisa Redins is a full time writer and editor with degrees in both Arts and Biological Science. She writes about career issues and other topics for a variety of international websites, magazines, and businesses.