Even though there are lots of people who think that what you post online is your business - not the business of your employer, your boss, a hiring manager, a recruiter, or anyone else, that's not how it works.
Managers, hiring managers and recruiters are checking out both candidates and employees on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. What you post online can get you fired, even if it's good company news or not related to your job.
Posting confidential company information, posting that you hate your job or you have a job offer you're going to take even though it's not a great job, tweeting that you have a job offer while you're still employed, and tweeting that you hate your job, are just a few examples of what can get you in trouble, or cost you your job or a job offer.
Many companies have social networking policies that restrict posting online, and they enforce them. Simply using your work computer for any personal non-work related reason can be an issue if your employer has restrictions on computer use on the job. Companies also may have policies that prohibit social media job references, so doing a good deed and giving a colleague a reference could get you in trouble.
That's why it's important for anyone who is job searching to act accordingly and set their Facebook privacy settings to ensure only their friends can see their private information. It's also important to be really careful what you tweet. Every single tweet shows up on Google and, believe me, if you say the wrong thing the wrong person will end up reading it.
For an example of how easy it is to mess up, searching for I hate my job on Twitter will give you a lengthy list of people who don't mind sharing that information. Let's hope the boss isn't reading their tweets.
Related: When a Job Offer is Revoked | You're Fired! How to Handle a Termination
Poll: Are You Concerned About Posting Personal Information Online?
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