I think the transparency of social media can significantly hurt the many young job hunters out there. Fresh out of college want-to-be professionals in the marketing and PR industry probably assume the several social web outlets are to their advantage. (Which they can be.) However, in my opinion blogs, tweets, Facebook “likes” and Tumblr accounts serve as just another means to help companies and recruiters separate the talented from the talent-less and inexperienced. As these companies search for progressive minds — they are linking to more than just resumes and LinkedIn accounts — they are seeing tweets to best friends lamenting about a job search and Facebook posts complaining about current positions.

Unintentionally these pre-workforce enthusiasts can be reflecting work ethic and giving TMI about their personal life. Is social media an amazing tool that can put your career on the fast track when you know how to use it? Absolutely. Did my current employer print my LinkedIn account and see my tweets before my interview? Absolutely. But several newbie job seekers out there who haven’t quite mastered how to position themselves as a young-but-professional mind — have no idea how they are hurting themselves. Kudos to you for being active via the social web during a job search, but think before you tweet. Transparency isn’t always good…