Like it or not, the line between private and public life is becoming increasingly blurred. These days, personal information that you have posted on the Internet for years can be unearthed in just a few minutes. And let's be frank, these will hurt you more than help you in your job search.

Indeed, according to a US survey by ExecuNet, most recruiters - up to 90% in some fields - claim to conduct research online on potential candidates. Of those, more than half admitted to having reconsidered their opinion in the negative after examining the candidates' accounts on social networks including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Here are five tips to follow on this subject:

Start by doing your own research: You'll be the first surprised to see everything you can find in a matter of minutes, if you've never done it before. You may have deleted that famous photo of your famous baked at an office party from five years ago, for example, but don't remember that one of your former colleagues posted it too. by identifying yourself.
     
Don't Post Anything Embarrassing: While this goes without saying, there are still far too many who post just anything without realizing that they will pay the price sooner or later. Profanity, drug references, sexist jokes, racist comments, political allegiances, interest in guns, are just the tip of an iceberg of reasons that will make your application automatically rejected.

Watch your language: Have you had your cover letter and curriculum vitae proofread by several people to avoid any mistakes? These efforts can be instantly dashed when recruiters who check your Facebook page find that you can't match two words without making mistakes.
    

Watch your friends: Most recruiters won't just check your Facebook page, they'll also glance at your "friends" to see if they're hangout. "Birds of a feather flock together," as the saying goes.
     
Don't say anything negative about your job: It doesn't matter whether it's the old job or the next one. Loyalty is one of the values most valued by employers and any negative comments can only mar your file. As proof, the case of this young Briton who, after finding a job at the local pizzeria, wrote on Twitter: "Ouach ... I'm starting this fucking job tomorrow". Although she deleted the tweet afterwards, her new boss still had time to read it and had fun saying, "And no, you're not starting this fucking job today." hui. I just fired you! "

May this hard-won lesson benefit everyone!