Kareen Cox, Career Writer

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace are three of the most well-known social networking websites that have captured the attention of millions of persons all around the world.

Many persons tend to view their social networking activity as a leisure or a hobby that has no direct link to their jobs or careers.

The reality is, however, that social media has become the latest job seeking and recruitment tool.

Unfortunately, this means that it has also become the latest way for people to get reprimanded or embarrassed at work or, worse, fired.

Today, many employers especially those overseas, use the Internet - including search engine Google - to research potential or current employees.

Even after you are employed, your social networking profile can be your downfall. Many careers have ended due to people updating their Facebook status, for example, during work hours, or having boasted on Twitter how they've taken a false sick day from work and are not aware that their boss can see their profiles.

When creating your profile on your chosen website, be careful to eliminate any information or photos that any employer, future or current, could use to bring your character into question or potentially embarrass your place of employment. Limiting your profile to only friends or those in your network won't necessarily solve the problem, as you simply cannot tell if your boss is friends with or even related to someone in your network.

As an added safeguard, ask your friends not to post embarrassing photos of you.

No one is saying that your personal profile page on Facebook or MySpace shouldn't remain your personal playground, but remember that nothing on the Internet is private anymore, so be careful what you post. It just may come back to haunt you when you go to apply for your dream job.

Kareen Cox is resources coordinator at HEART Trust/NTA.

On your web page:

Be careful what you say in posts online. Even a silly statement uttered as a joke can backfire if a potential boss fails to see the humour.

Avoid writing about your company. Resist discussions about your boss, co-workers or job on the Internet, Complaints about your employer online could lead to your firing and may be frowned on by a future employer, thereby limiting your prospects for finding a new job.

Do not post questionable photos online that would cause any kind of embarrassment. If you know you skipped work in order to attend a party, do not post the pictures online.

kareen_cox@heart-nta.org