Social networking – the new job search tool?

According to a recent article from msnbc, marketing company BFG Communications landed a new hire based on a single Twitter post. The post linked back to a blog and mock magazine cover designed by the applicant. Facebook, the popular social networking website, offers many applications to assist in a job search. These include a CareerBuilder application, another for creating online business cards, and one called “Testimonials,” which is used to compile personal, professional, and academic references. Payscale, the owner of the largest database of online employee salary data in the world, is also present on Facebook, providing an immediate and precise snapshot of the job market at any given time. CEC Associates, Inc., has joined in the movement by establishing our own Facebook page, which is geared toward career counseling services. As we have done for more than 25 years, we continue to offer career services, including vocational assessment, counseling, help with résumé preparation, and interview skill enhancement. For employees, the potential downside to social networking is that the line between one’s personal and professional lives is becoming blurred. There have been several reported instances of people being fired for posting negative comments about their jobs on Facebook or for posting improper photos and offensive remarks. The moral of the story: if using a social networking site as a job search tool, and particularly if “friending” one’s co-workers or boss, one must be careful about what personal information is posted online. We would like to hear what our readers think. Have you used a social networking website to assist in your job search? Are traditional paper résumés and cover letters becoming a “thing of the past?” And where does one draw the line between their personal and professional lives in the online world?