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[forum admin]

John Robinson, managing director of technical, engineering, scientific and commercial recruiter Scantech Personnel, says that as social networking sites become more popular it is in danger of becoming a double edged sword for job candidates.

“Social networking sites such as LinkedIn are now becoming an excellent source for finding good candidates,” he said. “So it is absolutely vital workers and job seekers ensure that their profiles are as professional and as impressive as possible. Failure to properly present your ‘social CV’ could damage your job-hunting prospects. Social networking sites are enabling recruiters to access a much larger pool of talent, therefore the jobs market is becoming even more competitive.”

“I cannot stress enough to people that once they commit a picture or a comment to the internet it is there for all to see,” he said. “You may think it’s only your friends and family reading your Twitter comments or watching your You Tube video. But be in no doubt recruiters and employers are checking candidate’s online behaviour to assess their suitability and judgement. The message very much is: be as professional as possible with your social networking or it could come back to haunt you and undermine your career.”

[Gota]

Keep it private I agree.

[Robin Tetley]

Or have two? A very professional one to put on your CV and a regular one for friends and family? That sounds like a good idea actually.

[Bob]

That's a lot of hassle to go through though?

[Gota]

I'd keep the "business" one very bare and sparse with limited information on. Very clean and tidy. Almost as an extension of your CV.

[Jonathan]

That's a good idea actually I've never thought of that. You could even then put the address on your CV. Hmmm.