According to an article on Ecommerce Journal, 73.3% of companies now use social networks to find candidates for their open job positions.  And of those found on LinkedIn, 90% get the job.  Since we spend all of our free time on a whole slew of social media sites, this is good news!  Yes?

Knowing that a lot of corporations have jumped on the social media bandwagon can definitely be used to your advantage.  But, keep in mind that this means your profiles, posts, pictures, etc. will be that future employer's first impression.  Will you miss a chance at a new, awesome job because you proudly posted that keg-stand pic last weekend?  If you ensure that all your public info reflects who you are on paper, you're golden!  

That does not mean you need to hide all the fun stuff about yourself.  It's ok for the world to know that you love to cook or are training for a marathon.  Another way to view it is by asking yourself, "what is my personal brand?"  How you paint your canvas reflects your brand at work... your style, personality, what differentiates you from the crowd.  Leverage social media sites to showcase your brand beyond that canvas.  Just weed out the darker stuff - things that could hurt your chance at that new job.

Personally, I try to keep most items on my profiles as clean as possible.  No crazy party pictures, no cursing, no super personal details that could make someone else cringe.  Don't get me wrong - everyone is human and definitely does things that they regret, or at least that they don't want leaked into their professional life.  But again, it's all about perception and that first impression.