“*The best way to get a job is not to be a job seeker, but to be an information seeker*.”
- director of UWM’s Career Development Center Tom Bachhuber

In preparation for that first job interview out of college, check not only your physical appearance, but your appearance on Facebook or MySpace as well.

Employers in 2008 will be slightly less confident about hiring than they have been in the past few years, according to a Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The loss of employer confidence, coupled with a 14.3% increase in job opportunities expected by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, means that there are several ways companies will test abilities of recent graduates outside the interview room. These include the increased use of background checks and the advantages of using social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace pages as a reference check.

According to Tom Bachhuber, director of the Career Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, companies today might use Facebook or MySpace as part of a reference check to make a decision on a new hire within the final group of applicants. This is primarily done only after the applicant has done well in previous interviews or the company is strongly interested, Bachhuber said.

“Legally, they really can’t use that—unless it is evidence of criminal activity—in making decisions about whether or not a person gets hired because that kind of stuff is not related to job performance,” Bachhuber said. “But how would you ever control that?”

As part of the Career Development Center’s informational newsletter, the CDC recently published the results of a survey which showed that corporations rated a sound work ethic, communication skills, a willingness to learn, and an understanding of the industry among the top qualifications for new graduates.

Thanks to the popularity of social networking, when companies do reference networking sites, they often can confirm or red-flag these top-rated skills an applicant may or may not possess.

“What kind of evidence might there be in their profile that this person is a real go-getter, and that this person has led in different capacities?” Bachhuber asked. “On the other hand, [companies] are looking for photographs that aren’t appropriate and they may be looking for language that is taking place between that person and other people.”

Companies like Manpower, however, regard the use of Facebook and MySpace strictly as recruiting tools that companies can use. Manpower is a company that helps individuals find entry-level jobs in either industrial or corporate businesses nationwide.

Manpower uses Facebook and MySpace for recruiting but “not for background checks,” according to Manpower public relations representative Bethany Perkins.

Perkins was strongly cautioned that social networking information would possibly be a factor when she started her application for employment at Manpower. Learning as much as you can about social media, such as social networking, and about how companies are integrating can prepare college graduates to succeed, according to Perkins.

“You need to take a look at who your audience is,” Perkins said in response to companies referencing social networking sites. “Any visible tattoos or piercings may be a factor, but it depends on what type of job you are looking for. The more corporate the job, the more they might look into it.”

There are many other active ways college graduates can gain an advantage in knowing who their audience is. For instance, UWM students can post their resume online at PantherJobs, a service developed about two years ago by the Career Development Center. PantherJobs also allows employers to search for UWM graduates for specific jobs, and it allows students to search for information on employers.

As recent college graduates consistently take a look at the changing audience of the job market, students must be aware that the job market is also taking on the task of actively looking at them. Accurate information is vital when both an employer and an applicant look to network for jobs, according to Bachhuber.

“The best way to get a job is not to be a job seeker, but to be an information seeker,” Bachhuber said.

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