What You Post on Facebook Can Build — or Wreck — Your Job Chances

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest — our lives are more public than we realize. We post birthdays, graduations, vacations, and, unwisely, what we hate about our jobs. What most people don't grasp: employers are increasingly using these same sites to size up candidates. Today, your internet presence is an extended résumé. You get to build it or destroy it.

And it isn't only hiring managers reading. There has even been a court ruling that Facebook posts can be used as evidence against you in a courtroom. If hundreds of people can read it, it is not private — by definition.

What should you never post?

• Trash-talking your boss or employer. Few people love their bosses, but criticizing them publicly can make you unhirable.
• Drugs or illegal activity. Photos or updates about drug abuse are a hard no — evidence of illegal behavior can end a candidacy instantly.
• Inappropriate photos. It surprises people, but résumés get rejected over them. They signal irresponsibility, and recruiters are hunting for the ideal candidate.

What actually helps your personal brand?

• A healthy, active you. Fitness photos suggest energy and discipline.
• Social consciousness. Volunteering and causes you care about earn genuine respect.
• Your wins. Post the awards and milestones you've earned — done tastefully, it works.

Not everything needs an audience. Use the privacy settings — that's what they're for. The rule is simple: the undesirable will sink you, the admirable will lift you. Choose accordingly, before an employer does the choosing for you.