Social Media Alert and Your Next Employer

According to the Oregon Business Report, and CareerBuilder.com, as many as 45% of employers search the web for prospective employees. This search is not for resumes, but for social media content about those prospective employees. As REALTORS, we enjoy the booming new social media dot com platforms to network with colleagues and make those new connections with potential employers. Yes, I said employers- your clients. Have you ever considered that your next client; your next employer, may be scrubbing the web right now?

Imagine your client researching you and finding you on Facebook, Twitter, My Space or other sites, and discovering those old college or last January's New Years Eve party photos? You know the ones I mean. The half drunk, half naked, almost erotic photos some feel compelled to share. Or perhaps they read the blurb you wrote yesterday when you were frustrated with the government. Or you had a momentary laspe in judgment and had an outburst of anti-religious, anti-gay, or some other form of personal venting. What if they read a blog you wrote where you use disparaging language towards another REALTOR, your former employer, or maybe your last client? How about the client that reads too many misspelled words, poor editing, or improper punctuation? What might that say about your attention to detail and how you might handle their deal?

Here's something else to consider. While you may be the All-American REALTOR, what about those friends you have on your social lists? What happens when your client hits you up to be a friend, and then they read all of your other friend's comments? Might those clients begin to wonder why you would be friends with a druggie, a self-professed spouse beater, an exhibitionist, or maybe just an all-around jerk? And when they watch to see the shear amount of time you spend on games, might they wonder when you could possibly have time for them?

So, what can you do? If you insist on dabbling on social sites wherein you are compelled to publish those old photos, or insist on giving the world a tongue lashing, maybe you could consider creating a alter ego profile that you do not link to your professional profile. There is nothing wrong with using social sites, but as with anything, uncontrolled behavior may ultimately haunt you.