Are you a member of any social networking website like Facebook or Friendster? We have seen them undergo unprecedented growth in recent years as they provide web users with an avenue for self-expression and social interaction.

Social networking websites work by asking you to create a profile by filling in basic information (gender, location, etc.) and personality indicators (favorite movies, favorite books, interests, etc.) and adding people you know to your “Friends" list. These profiles are generally quite open and it's possible for anyone to view your profile and that of the people in your extended network.

However, as with other public spaces on the Internet, there is no way to guarantee that the persons viewing your profile are the persons you want to see it.

Job seeker Marie shares her experience: “I was looking forward to working with this company. I reached the second interview – the one with the hiring manager – and everything seemed fine. Then, I didn't receive any call to come back for the final interview. My friend in the company said it might be because the hiring manager saw some stuff on my online profile and it turned her off. Should companies spy on future employees on social networking sites? Isn't that supposed to be just for social networking and not to be mixed with our professional lives?”

Apparently, not so. According to HR managers, you should think seriously about what you have in your social networking account.

Bong Austero of PNB says: “You have to remove the stuff that you don't want your parents to see or those that imply you consider work as evil. It's not called "spying" because they are public spaces. Anyone can have access to them and use the data for their own purposes. There is no such thing as separation between personal and professional anymore.”

“It is still the prerogative of the hiring manager to conduct reference and background checks on the applicant in whatever means or ways that is available and accessible,” adds Beth Miranda of Sandstone Technology. “Browsing through a job applicant's online profile is okay as long as it matches the preliminary attitudinal evaluation on the applicant’s character because I think anyone reading those profiles should not automatically believe what he or she was reading unless he or she has personally met the person."

So job seekers should always remember that the impression your social networking profile generates depends on the context of the viewer’s relationship with you. A picture of you looking intoxicated in a party may seem cool to a friend but irresponsible to a potential employer. Minimize the chances of that happening by removing content which you would not want any potential employer from accessing.