The great thing about social media is the ability to share details about almost anything, for almost anybody to read. While many people choose to share basic, mundane details about their life — such as what they are eating and where they are going — some people share much more private details such as the latest news about their pregnancy, their health crisis, or — a favorite amongst younger demographics — details about their drunken adventures (and resulting hangover). Sharing these unprofessional details about your private life on a public scale can have a detrimental impact on your career — especially if you are looking to be recruited for a new position.

While your friends and family may appreciate details and stories about your private life, future employers will not. In fact, excessive private details about your life could have a a negative impact on the decision to hire you for a position. While some aspects of your private life should not be allowed to impact you (such as information about your family), this could still sway an HR department to reassess the pool of qualified candidates.

You may also want to rethink the photo albums and videos posted on your social networks. Photo albums consisting of wild drunken parties or other events where you may be making questionable decisions will undoubtedly be viewed negatively by recruiters and HR professionals. If you want your friends to still be able to see these photos, Facebook offers several layers of privacy to prevent strangers’ eyes from stumbling across these pictures. This allows you to retain freedom of personal expression while not letting such activities impact your professional career.

Keep in mind, however, that any content on a social network can be copied and pasted and distributed to anyone else. Just because you set a message or photo about your private life to private does not ensure that someone with access will not leak this photo or message to someone who should not see it.

Photo shared by Stacina