The ICT Job Hunter Blog

Regular users of Facebook will already have seen a pop-up appear on their screens some weeks ago when they logged in, to let them know that the social network site has adjusted its privacy settings.  If you haven’t logged in lately though, it might just be worthwhile doing so now.

Basically, what the ‘powers-that-be’ at Facebook have done is to make your profile more public, and it will stay that way unless you change the settings.  What that means in effect is that unless you take action, anyone can search your name via the search engines and view not just the info page but your wall too.  Whether you’re sitting playing Farmville while you should be at work, or you or someone else has posted comments on your wall which are anything less than professional, it will all be on public view.  Any pages of which you have become a fan will also be visible to anyone who chooses to take a look, as will your friends list – and of course one click will take the viewer directly from your profile to that of each of your friends.

Anyone who has read my earlier posts on the subject of social networking sites will know just how imperative it is when you are job-hunting that what is visible to the world at large presents you in the most professional of lights.  Indeed, with employers frequently checking out the online presence of their existing employees, it’s not just job seekers to need to be wary, but those who are in work too!

However you had your Facebook account set up previously, those settings no longer apply and the onus is very much on you to adjust them.  So, if you do nothing else today, open up Facebook, go to the ‘settings’ option at the top of the page and set your preferences, otherwise the world and its dog will be able to see what you may prefer to keep hidden!