SEXYSOULSISTA@GMAIL.COM

As the Oscar nods were announced today, I tipped my hat that "The Social Network" received the accolades it so deserves. Facebook has singlehandedly changed the world, with 500,000,000 users and counting. As a 37 year old, I find Facebook to be a great networking tool as well as a fun window into my past life. I've reconnected with hundreds of old friends and am able to know about them without having to leave the comfort of my own home or spend hours on the phone "catching up." I know where they live, what they "like" and what their relationship status is. I see pictures of their kids, their girls' nights out and their family vacations. Pretty mundane I know, but that's because like me, most of my friends are beyond the days of fraternity parties, spring breaks, all night clubbing and impromptu trips to AC.  

However, a good majority of my candidates are NOT! For some reason, people ages 22-30, love to post pictures/status updates/wall postings about the crazy, sexy, sometimes illegal things they love to do. What they fail to realize is employers have a sneaky way of finding those pictures/postings and denying them employment because of it. I can't tell you how many times my clients have "googled" a candidate only to find them in a skirt that's too short, doing luge shots off of Miley Cyrus' ass. COME ON PEOPLE...if there's any chance of embarassment, then don't POST IT. It's one thing to BECOME the office slut...but no one's going to hire one! 

Looking for employment is a full time job and should be taken seriously. Please don't ask me to email you at sexysoulsista@gmail.com or iluvsnooki@hotmail.com and neither Jay Z nor Lady Gaga should be on your voicemail (unless you ARE Jay Z or Lady Gaga). Multiple piercings should be removed and tattoos should be covered as much as possible. And please, WHATEVER you do, do NOT bring your chihuahua/maltese/yorkie to an interview. This will NEVER be acceptable (unless you're interviewing at a pet shop or shelter).  

I had a candidate come in who was extremely put together...attractive, well spoken, nice suit, excellent resume. A year out of school, she'd spent the past two years working as the receptionist for a law firm. What I would consider a "walking placement." We literally THREW her out the door to our client who LOVED her. Thirty-six hours later they come back to us and say they are passing. When pressured for a reason, they said they found "provocative pictures" of her online. Ten seconds later, my colleague and I are staring at said candidate in an outfit that can only be described as "bondage-like"...AS HER PROFILE PICTURE ON FACEBOOK!!! Talk about the rug not matching the shades. IN A MILLION YEARS...I never would've thought...But my client did, and needless to say, didn't offer her the position.

Like I said in the beginning of this post, I think social media is an amazing tool as long as it's used appropriately. It's allowed people to reconnect with lost friends, loved ones and even parents. It's helped children get adopted; pets find homes and the unemployed find jobs. But like all vices, it can be abused. So remember, if you don't want your mother to see it, it shouldn't be posted on the internet. And when you start to look for a job, make sure that all you "T"s are crossed, your "I"s are dotted, and that you're wearing underwear in every picture.


Good night and happy job hunting,

The Job Yenta