Social Networking is a hot topic these days, from more social sites like Facebook and Twitter to those that have been developed to assist in career networking, such as Plaxo and LinkedIn. It seems like everybody is doing something with SN's. Here's a chance to see what they can do for you, or learn how they should NOT be used. You should bring a 'business' email address that you would not mind sharing with potential employers. Email addresses like 'hot4funparties.blahblah.com' or .Ihonkfordemocrats.blahblah.com' are not appropriate for a business environment, and if you have something that either suggests that all you do is party, or ties you to a specific church, political or other group, you should create a new address for resumes and SN sites. There are plenty of free email sites, like hotmail (hotmail.com), Google (gmail.com) Comcast (comcast.net) orYahoo (yahoo.com), and it makes sense to keep your business and personal lives separate. I'd suggest gmail, since we often ask you to use Google tools, and it has a strong level of security. If you need help setting up a new email address, ask one of our instructors. Tips to keep in mind:
- Keep them as short as possible, since you may have to give them over the phone.
- Rather than first and last names, or first initial last name, consider some of each, such as josmam.blahblah.com instead of JohnSmithAmherst.blahblah.com
- DON'T use things that could help thieves steal your identity, such as parts of your address, social security number, birthdate, children's names, pets etc.
- The less identifiable the address, the better.
- Do NOT use any groups you like or are a part of, such as politcal groups, church groups, social groups etc. You do not want to turn-off a potential employer who may have different leanings. Your Bobloveswhitesox.blah.com might not impress a Cubs-loving employer.
- DO use the business email address you create on your resume and on any employment applications.
- DO keep the business address for employment purposes, and give Aunt Bertha your more social email address. Keeping your business mail separate from your social mail will make sure that you don't miss a potential job offer or reply.
- Most email addresses use lowercase as the default, so use 'josmam' instead of JoSmAm.
- However, for PASSWORDS for your email, longer IS better, and a combination of random letters and numbers is better than all letters. Again, don't use anything that is identifiable to you, such as addresses, social security numbers, pet names etc.
