Online Etiquette for Job Hunters

MYFOXNY.COM - When looking for a job in a really tough economic climate, you need to make sure you are putting your best foot forward. By all means, use current technology to power your job search (social networks, e-mail, Web postings), but you must keep in mind that anything you put out there in cyberspace should be business-appropriate and not embarrassing.

Here is a helpful guide from PCMag.com about the proper e-mail and social networking etiquette for your job search:

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

Get a permanent and appropriate e-mail address; no, Hotmama1795@hotmail.com is not acceptable.

Know your audience; e-mails to friends and potential employers should NOT be written the same way; make sure your tone is respectful.

Avoid huge attachments; recipients with limited email storage or a restriction on attachment size (10MB is typical) will thank you.

Subject lines matter; make sure you select one that’s appropriate and reflects the overall message.

NO ALL CAPS; TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS THE INTERNET EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING.

Create a useful signature: Include the contact information for getting a hold of you directly and quickly.

Double and triple check for typos: When in doubt, have a friend proofread your emails.

SOCIAL NETWORKING ETIQUETTE

Restrict access to Facebook, MySpace and any other pages with your personal info; most services offer ways to limit who can view your information under privacy settings.

Better yet, remove anything embarrassing from these pages; your future employer could, and likely does, check these out to get a better understanding of you.

Make sure your profile picture is grandmother friendly; even with restricted settings anyone searching for you will likely see your profile image.

>PCMAG.COM: E-MAIL GOLDEN RULES

>PROPER USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

>MYFOX JOB CENTER