Is Social Networking damaging current and future career paths?

Is Social Networking damaging current and future career paths?

We all use social networking in our day to day lives, without us stopping to think about the possible consequences. Nowdays we are posting status comments all the time as well as having pictures uploaded onto Facebook (more then 250 million photos daily actually! – taken from Social Web Lecture Slides 3). A recent blog post by another student further demonstrates this problem and further cements what I have described above. Facebook and Twitter are well known culprits where employees have been sacked after their ‘actions’ or ‘words’ appearing on these social networking in the form of writing or photographs. However, most of us will have no thoughts on this when we join a social networking site. You also have no control of the photos that get uploaded and with you being tagged; everyone who has access to your profile can see the tagged pictures. The chances of Facebook removing pictures you do not like, unless they are offensive, are low. Furthermore, once Facebook receives a photo or you post a comment, they are no longer your property but Facebooks.

Companies are certainly now being interested in what you do outside of your work life, and will typically search for you on social networking sites. You may well pass the interview and the tests that follow, but if a question about you as a person sends a potential employer into a worrying state, you will not get the job. As mentioned in the following link, this is certainly on a rise. In 2009, 45% of employers screened potential employees on SNS compared to 22% the previous year. Employers actually admitted that 53% of potential employees were then dropped due to the inappropriate photographs or information, with poor communication skills coming in at 29%. But as mentioned above, Facebook and Twitter have been known to get people properly sacked, due to comments they post on their account. Examples of this included a high profile case where an employer said she hated her job and called her boss a bad name; a sacking was the result.

However, using social networking can certainly help you get a job. This is shown by the use of LinkedIn, a site to establish networking and where you can add your qualifications and your skills to your profile; sort of like an electronic CV. LinkedIn is certainly growing with corporate profiles increasingly showing interest in professional SNS like LinkedIn; 62% of recruiters say LinkedIn is an invaluable resource. Developing Relationships with recruiters and ‘networking’ can only provide benefits, which is invaluable considering the current economic job climate. Yet 32% of employers will not use social networking due to fears of career damage. Finally 62% of employers would prefer not to be friends with their managers on social networking sites. I certainly would not want to risk being friends with my manager who works for CTS as I did my placement there for a year.

Social networking can certainly cause serious issues for your work life, or can aid you when job searching. But by showing your actions in a photo or your thoughts in writings, your job and security can be destroyed overnight in just one photo or comment. What are your thoughts? With screening of current and future employees continuing to rise, this is certainly a threat, now and in the future.

References used:

http://emievil.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Social-Networking-Sites-Can-Damage-Your-Chances-of-Employment

http://www.lovemoney.com/news/the-economy-politics-and-your-job/your-job/5387/facebook-could-cost-you-your-job

http://www.employmentblawg.com/2010/is-your-use-of-social-network-sites-helping-or-hurting-your-career/

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2035-Job-Info-and-Trends-More-Employers-Screening-Candidates-via-Social-Networking-Sites/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/08/24/cb.job.social.medial.pitfalls/index.html

http://careersherpa.net/social-networks-do-they-help-or-hurt-your-career/

Taken From Blackboard Learn: Slides from Social Web: Slides 3