In this advancing age of computer technology, nearly every surfer has a Facebook account. Whether you are a renowned celebrity, budding politician or a grandmother, social media sites are fast becoming a modern and easy way to communicate with your friends and loved ones by sharing and interacting with them with pictures and events as they happen.

On the surface, Facebook may seem like a harmless way to make new friends and stay close to the people you love. However, it is worth bearing in mind that over 355 million users are employers.

Studies reveal that employers now prefer to use Facebook as a means of hiring someone rather than the conventional LinkedIn website which was the original tool used for business orientated social networking. Things become even scarier when employers have a free reign to dip into anyone's Facebook account and find out personal information about a prospective candidate even before offering them an interview. In many cases, potential candidates who may have stood a good chance of interview are being rejected simply because of the information provided via their Facebook accounts.

As each day passes, more and more employees are logging onto Facebook to gain further insight into the people that they trust with their business. Young people are particularly at risk as the need to look good in front of their friends may shadow their prospective careers. The rule of thumb for anyone wishing to pursue a career in the professional sector is to know your way around Facebook and make it a priority to change the privacy settings on your account so as the whole world and his wife does not know your every move.

Eight tips to keep your online presence and work presence balanced.

No photo's please

Although it is tempting to want to display highlights of that drunken birthday bash at the weekend, your employers may not see it in such a good light. Remain anonymous on Facebook and remove all pictures including your profile shot. It is even a good idea to ask family and friends to take down any pics which may portray you in a poor light. Examples could be smoking, skimpy clothing or inappropriate poses.

Create your own little corner of the world

Make sure that you keep your profile setting to private. If you have an open Facebook account, anyone can view your updates, profile and pictures. This makes it easy for an employer to create a fly on the wall mental image of your lifestyle and personality.

Spread the love

Okay not literally but remove any sentences which contain any negative comments with regard to your job, employer, a colleague or boss. It isn't just a case of wiping your slate clean, make sure that you wipe the slate clean on other people's walls too along with anything you may have added in your profile. This isn't such a bad thing to do as negative gossip usually has a tendency of achieving negative results anyway.

Don't let your imagination run wild

Yes, it is so easy on Facebook to be yourself and really let your imagination go crazy. With new applications popping up regularly including a 'fan' page, it may not be the wisest move to link to FHM's fifty sexiest music videos.

The power of words

In a nutshell, watch what you say about anything connected to being drunk at parties or any arguments you were involved in, even if you were right or won. It would also be wise to keep schtum about any one night stands or any provocative thoughts you may have or had about someone.

Don't drop your P's and Q's

Whilst Facebook is meant to be an environment where you can be relaxed about speech and grammar, an employer will be looking for professionalism at all times. The messages you convey and the manner they are conveyed in are a direct representation of the 'real' you. Someone who spells in a slovenly manner and uses incorrect grammar will favour low in a potential employers eyes.

Too much information

Facebook is literally an open book for you to fill the pages as you please. However, if you are seeking a professional career, you need to be sure that you are liberal with the amount of information that you provide. Try to keep information about your activities and interests in line with your CV. Go careful about inside jokes that you share with friends, although they may seem funny and harmless, they may not be considered so humorous by a potential employee. Also remove any links to MySpace and Twitter unless they are as clean and orderly as your Facebook account. The same applies to any links to your favourite blogs (unless they are harmless enough for even your holier than thou, grandmother to read).

Bring out the Diva in you

Whilst it can be appreciated that the whole world may grind to a halt without your regular Facebook updates. It may be sensible to keep a low profile for a month or two especially when you are actively seeking employment. When you have landed that dream job, you can be seen on screen again, but remember to hold your cards close to your chest as the written word may be easy to delete but not so easy to be forgotten.