Hiring Tool…or Not?

You’ve heard this before: keep your Facebook profile clean or you won’t get hired. Those new privacy settings make it much easier to control who can see your stuff—but does it even matter?

Seventy-three percent of human resources personnel don’t check social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace, according to a Personnel Today poll of HR professionals. The results from these 220 participants make you wonder—why is everyone hassling me to keep a non-risqué profile?

Facebook-savvy HR staffers will be more aware of what profiles can reveal…and more curious to check them. The poll also found that those hiring for the fields of media, professional services and finance would be more likely to log on. And for obvious reason—when your name represents a mega-company, it’s more crucial for you to play it safe.

What would you do if you were asked about your Facebook profile during a job interview? [Personnel Today]