Looking for a job?

Are you looking for a job or is it likely you might be looking for one soon? Conversely are you currently looking for staff or thinking about doing so? Either way, have you considered the impact of Social Media on the process of getting a job or filling a vacancy? Have you, or should you change your approach to Social Media?
In the ‘good old days’ it was all relatively straightforward; employers advertised jobs in the local newspaper, or maybe a trade journal if one existed, and the job hunter obliged by reading the advertisements. A CV or request for an application form then followed and hopefully more letters would flow as the employer and potential employee weighed each other up.
With the growth of email and the Internet things got slicker and we were able to surf our way across job web sites and email our CV or fill in an online form. This made things a bit quicker and easier but basically the process was very similar.
Then, in our usual cunning way, mankind realised there is a lot of information out on the Internet and services such as Google have an uncanny knack of finding it. So, what happens now when a CV drops in an inbox, or someone sees an advertisement for a job? They head over to Google, Bing, Yahoo or whatever and see what dirt they can find on the person or company.
Turning this on its head, are YOU happy that everything you have shared with the world via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare etc is the kind of thing you would want a potential employer or employee to see? There have already been cases of people being sacked as a result of their inappropriate Social Media activity but I wonder how many job matches haven’t happened for the same reason.
So, next time you are about to tell the world you are calling in sick due to last night’s overindulgence, you blog the hidden truths about your company, or you decide to ‘follow’ an inappropriate Tweeter, consider who might be reading it!