The must watch out areas for MBA aspirants!!

Aspiring to go for MBA? Well, it might be a good decision but hold on! Do you have the slightest idea that your Facebook account might become a hindrance in realization of your dream? Yes, that's true! Social networking may deter with your career or academic pursuits!!

More than one out of five graduate business school admissions offices pop into the candidate's social networking accounts in order to get more information about them. And about fourteen percent of the admission officials who conducted this research said that they discovered certain details of the potential candidates which were quite off-putting.

There was a survey of 265 graduate business school admissions officers. Despite the fact that this study hardly focused on the social media interrogation on the issue had some alarming results:

• 27 percent of admissions officers have Googled an applicant to learn more about him or her;
• 22 percent said they visited an applicant's Facebook page or other social networking profile for the same reason

Though the social media can play a vital role in casting a negative impression on an applicant's candidacy, but it cannot be the sole reason responsible for an apprentice's success or failure in an admission. More strong reasons include low admission exam score of 58 percent. Furthermore, low undergraduate grade point average like 24 percent and lack of relevant work experience like 12 percent are also some of the crucial points.

Thus, all this clearly shows that the chief impressions are made online. Moreover, now it becomes a must to use privacy settings on Facebook, at least while hunting for a job. Those who don't pay heed to this might encounter hitches in their career or academic pursuits. So, instead of expurgating ourselves completely, we must try to make the best possible use of privacy options. This shall help in keeping the potential employers away from the photos or some potentially sensitive material. But, unfortunately it is evident from the availability of various pictures like those of tequila on net that most of the scholars overlook this fact.

The best alternative in this direction can be the use of customized privacy settings. Furthermore, the users of social networking sites must remember not to post photos depicting any kind of illegal activity (like that of underage boozing etc).

Several colleges have their own candid norms concerning Facebook. At some places the employees are expected to agree not to use Facebook. But, it has also been seen that there are certain folks who don't adhere to this norm as according to them this violates their self-expression. Today, networking users are also in a habit of updating their status immediately on their accounts. This shall sometimes prove dangerous as venting out frustrations on Facebook might become a reason of your breakdown.

SOURCE: Latika Leekha (Shiksha Team)