The importance of understanding what your Social Media pages say about you has never been so high. Many potential employers will search Social Media pages for your name even before deciding to call you for an interview.
Search Engines
Please take a look at what they would find, be impartial. Put your name into Google, Bing and Yahoo! and see what comes up. Is it what you expect?
Social Networking
Next go to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even Bebo or Myspace and see if there is a profile picture that would embarrass you with a new employer. Next, you need to secure this page so that the full profile is only visible to your friends. Change or remove your listed non-professional interests listed.
A word of warning! Once employed try to limit the number of new colleagues you invite to become a Facebook friend, you never know.
Professional Networking
Linkedin is a great tool, especially in the current marketplace. However, be careful whom you link to as this can create an internet profile of you that may appear unfavourable.
Videos
No-one wants a moment of stupidity captured forever. If there is a YouTube video of you and your mates messing around, however harmless, it can and will be found! This is best removed.
Look at your recent posts; do they present a professional image of you?
Conclusion
The internet is a wonderful way of finding out all you need to know, but it works two ways. Be mindful of your internet presence.
Suggestion
Set up a new email account that is professional. By this, we mean first name dot surname, not worlds-best-salesman@gmail.com and make sure that none of your social networking sites use this account.
So your Social Media accounts are looking good... now it's time to prepare for that all important Telephone Interview!