Career 2.0: The dangers and the Potential of Social networking sites

The application was perfect, the job was already almost in the bag.

On the way to the interview: you've had a good night's sleep, a light breakfast, your suit is a perfect fit. You've thought out your best points, you can reel off your successes and strengths, along with a few well-chosen examples. What can go wrong now?

E&M COACH: CAROLIN VON RICHTHOFEN As a coach, Carolin von Richthofen advises people who are going through job-related processes of change and growth or who are struggling with situations of conflict or decision-making. She helps clients from businesses as well as non-profit organisations to realise their wishes and visions. She holds a degree in psychology and was trained as a systemic family therapist, business coach, career advisor and trainer of social skills. If you want to know more about her work, visit her website.

Fast forward: at the interview table, the head of human resources gets straight to the point. But instead of questions about the highlights of your CV, your year abroad and your career plans, the interview runs a very different course. A file is opened and the interviewer's gaze scans party photos from facebook which were uploaded using a friend's iPhone App after your last holiday. It quickly becomes clear: the firm's intern did some serious googling before the interview. The combination of drunken photographs with risqué tweets require explanation and don't offer any opportunity to direct the focus of the conversation back to your application.

Not a nice picture. And yet, nearly everyone knows a similar story from an acquaintance or has even had to experience this kind of situation. Internet research in human resources departments has long become routine. The internet forgets nothing, and once again it becomes clear that social networking sites should be used with caution, despite their many advantages.

But used well, they prove themselves to be effective networking tools and open up possibilities for contacting potential employers, business partners and possible customers. In the best case scenario, the next step on the career ladder might be hiding behind the very next mouse-click - maybe behind the next contact request on LinkedIn, for example. But how are we to navigate between dangers and opportunities - and still stay in touch with our Erasmus friends?

Don't panic! Just turn the tables. The head of personnel will be researching you? That's just great - with the right strategy, this can be to your advantage. Use the internet consciously as a space for presenting yourself, with content which you control 100%. In particular, the business networks on LinkedIn, Xing and Facebook can be used quickly and easily to your professional advantage.

The following five rules should always be followed - they are the key to success on social networking sites:

Firstly: Control your messages!

Social networks are not a private space. On the one hand there is a very high risk that intimate content will find its way into the public domain, and on the other hand that is the whole point of such sites. Once something has appeared online, no one has control anymore over the use of personal content. A google alert can keep tabs on what personal information about you is available on the internet. Facebook, for example, allows you to receive an email whenever a photo of you is tagged. Regular spring-cleaning of information and checking of all privacy settings are a must, especially when the next job application is coming up. Ambiguous photos should be removed and sloppy comments should be deleted. Future employers are allergic to overly personal comments and negative remarks about previous employers or colleagues. In a study financed by Microsoft, 43% of the recruiters surveyed europe-wide said that they would keep an eye on potential employees online during the application process. 23% of those responsible for personnel had even rejected applicants solely on the basis of their self-representation online! (41% in the UK, but still only 16% in Germany and 14% in France, although the trend points towards an increase. As a comparison: in the trend-setting USA, 70% of those asked said that they had rejected applicants after online research.) These are numbers which are still completely under-estimated by online users.

But controlling your messages also means recognising that the internet is full of potential - where else are there so many ways to create publicity for oneself strategically and to present oneself? Through blog entries and profiles on Xing and LinkedIn, expert comments and founding forums for your subject, you can give your profile depth in a targeted way. Become your own PR department!

Secondly: Give and take. The network has to be cared for.

A network is not something you "have." Contacts need care and attention. In social networks, the normal rules of communication and friendship still apply. Real interest in others is the basis for good relationships. A friendly, trusting attitude, reliability, clarity in discussions, finding the same wavelength and supporting others - social networks always work through give and take, whether online or offline. It's not enough to think about what you will get out of something. It's just as important to think about what interests others, what their needs are. In the end, virtual life is like real life: every good contact starts on a personal note, with a friendly, open and interested warm-up. Only later on is can the thread of conversation take the weight of requests - and that's what it's about. So, have you already re-tweeted the tweet of a business partner today, or commented positively on the blog entry of an acquaintance, or posted and commented on an interview with the CEO of the firm where you're going to be interviewed next week? 

Thirdly: Choose your playgrounds - don't spread yourself too thinly.

A focussed, regular exchange with a small number of others on Xing is better than trying to get 10,000 twitter followers or facebook fans. It makes sense to work out where the main movers in your chosen field hang out. Is there an international marketing group on Xing? Where do media experts exchange ideas, where do they get helpful information on the topic of online law and where can you win a new contact for your network by asking a well-chosen question about a blog entry? Whatever your needs, the right portal or group is waiting for you on the internet, ready to complete your friendship group on Facebook and Co. and improve your career prospects.

However: skillful selection is important. For business contacts, Xing and LinkedIn are usually best - facebook and twitter can take their turn after work...

Fourthly: Go for it! Search and seize opportunities.

Online networks provide a great opportunities to talk to people whom you wouldn't meet so easily in real life. If you need information about a particular company, realistic pay expectations in a certain industry, possibilities for working in Turkey or advice about a topic for your doctorate, the net is swarming with people who can give you valuable tips. Because anyone who has uploaded a profile is saying that he or she is essentially willing to be contacted. People like being asked for advice, they like it when their opinion counts. Being approached as an expert in their field does them good, and hardly anyone is unwilling to help. Plus, the worst that can happen is that you don't receive a reply, or you get a message asking not to be contacted.

Fifthly: Cost and time versus benefits. How much time is worth investing?

Source: The Nielson Company

Average time (in hours) spent per month on social network sites.

Using Facebook and LinkedIn takes up time. We all know how time flies by once we're online. This means that good time management is important. For many people, it will make sense consciously to plan luxury time for "free googling" - when you just let yourself surf along, following your interests, finding inspiration on YouTube and browsing the net. It's not unusual to stumble over something exciting this way - and it's fun. But the majority of time should be dedicated to a concrete goal, with clear priorities set in advance. Then the chat function on Facebook should be turned off and your Skype status should be set to "invisible" - that's the only way to work efficiently in the long term.

And when virtual friends are beckoning and your inbox is filling up, you should still think about whether it would be worth more to go to a real-life party after all. Because in the end, it's true: the most valuable contacts are established though personal, face-to-face conversations.

Teaser photo: Matteo de Simone / www.youthphotos.eu