Be Smart About Social Networking

Facebook reports having more than 1 billion active users, with more than 50%—that’s 618 million users—logging on daily. Twitter has more than 500 million registered users, and LinkedIn has more than 225 million members worldwide.

There is no denying that social media use has exploded. It makes sense to be online. But it comes with a price—your privacy.

A 2012 survey of 2,303 hiring managers and human resource professionals by CareerBuilder.com found that 37% of employers use social networks to screen job candidates. A third of employers who scanned social media reported finding content that made them disqualify a candidate—half of them cited inappropriate photos and information as the reason.

As a young adult using social media, you must be careful what you post. Here is a list of suggestions from Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert for Gen Y and author of “Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success”:

– Join the “big three” networks—Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

– Consider how you want to position yourself, and then create your profiles to reflect this personal brand.

– Use the same full name and picture on all social networks. – Use Twitter to make initial contact by following someone, retweeting them, or sending a direct message. Then take those connections to other online platforms.

– Use privacy settings if you choose not to use a particular network for professional use.

– For your posts: Share successes, post interesting articles, showcase achievements, or share something from an organization you’re involved with—anything that strengthens your presence.

– Monitor your image. Search yourself online, and set up a Google alert for your full name and any nicknames or common misspellings.

– It may be obvious, but must be said: Don’t post damaging pictures or posts.