How to Adjust Facebook Privacy Settings for a Job Search

How to Adjust Facebook Privacy Settings for a Job Search How to Adjust Facebook Privacy Settings for a Job Search In a competitive job market, you need all the leverage you can get to land your ideal job. What you don’t need is a potential employer sifting through posts on your Facebook account and developing preconceived ideas as to whether you’re a good fit for the position or not. Prior to your job search it is important to adjust Facebook privacy settings and features. Consider all the items you post each month on Facebook and the ones that you either comment on or “like” on others’ pages. All of these items could be screened by a potential employer, which may make you more of an unsavory candidate if your ideals don’t match that of the employer. To prevent this form of prescreening (which most employers do!), you can make your Facebook page incognito from those who aren’t linked to you as a friend. How to Adjust Facebook Privacy Settings for a Job Search First, read about Facebook’s privacy basics. Then, read more about whether an interviewer can ask for your Facebook password. Once you’ve logged into your Facebook page, go to the padlock icon in the upper right of the page and conduct a Privacy Checkup. Then, go to Privacy Settings and Tools to adjust your settings: Who can see my stuff? Here you can choose who can see your posts by selecting “friends,” “public,” or by customizing a specified list. Who can contact me? During your job search, consider selecting “friends of friends” here instead of “everyone” to limit who can contact you using this social media. Who can look me up? Also in this area, you can select who can look you up on Facebook by choosing “friends,” “friends of friends,” or “everyone.” To remain more private, select only “friends.” This will ensure that only the people you’ve selected as Facebook friends can locate you. After you’ve adjusted your Privacy Settings and Tools, go to the left margin and review the following: Timeline and Tagging â€" adjust your settings under the following areas: Who can add things to my timeline? Select “friends” only here and choose “on” to review items you’re tagged in before it appears on your timeline. Who can see things on my timeline? Here you can choose varying options from “everyone” to “only me.” When “only me” is selected, this is the most private option and allows you more Facebook privacy. How can I manage tags people add and tagging suggestions? Again, select “on” to review tags before they appear on Facebook. Also choose “only me” or “friends” in this section to keep tagging private. Blocking: When all else fails, resort to blocking. If you have persons from your past who either won’t leave you alone or could spell trouble for you when landing a job, block them from your page. You won’t see each other on Facebook, not even if you have friends in common, and they’re not notified when they’re blocked. Readers, tell us your job search experiences as they relate to Facebook privacy. How do you adjust Facebook privacy settings when youre job searching? Share with us in the comment section below!