Some extreme cases of social media profiles getting out of hand – both kept their job despite media campaigns

‘Only 33% of job candidates bothered to search for information on themselves, to see what a prospective employer might find.’

First impressions count...What first impression does your online profile make?

[Photo by McKay Savage]

How do you look online? If someone were to search for you online, what would they find?

[Image by Anthony Catalano]

Google yourself – what comes up?- Check the 'Images', 'YouTube' and 'News' tabs as well as the main Google search page.- If you have a common name, try including your area name as well (e.g. 'Sarah Smith Cardiff') to find yourself online.

Do you have a public Twitter account?If so, are mindful of what you say and how you say it, in spelling and grammar as well as subject matter?

Do you have a Facebook profile?If so, have you viewed it as a 'non-friend' wolud see it? You can do this by going to your profile page and selecting 'View As...' from the 'Activity Log' menu.

Are you invisible online?For some employers, even having no online profile at all can raise suspicions.

It's all about balanceAs well as taking steps to keep your more personal details private, you can build a more professional online profile to project the positive and tell people what you want to be known about yourself.

[Photo by Winifredxoxo]