You apply for a job and before the employer can review your resume, he or she reviews your Facebook account. Now what? Social media is a tool for people to communicate with and to keep in touch with. But employers use Facebook too, especially when seeking to judge what candidates would be a great advocate for their companies.

If you have a private profile know that potential employers can still access it- even without a password. The Friends of Friends setting can easily let a potential employer tip toe around any privacy setting, especially if one of your friends is referring you for the job. So, make sure you never post anything you wouldn’t want shared during a job interview.

Employers often hire vetting companies to run deep web searches on a candidate’s name and even photos. Even if this information is legally compliant (and it often is), it still may add more fuel (positive or negative) to the hiring manager’s decision-making process than you’d expect. We suggestion job candidates always avoid writing personal opinions on blogs, other people’s profiles with public settings or reTweeting potentially controversial material and/or photos.

Next, don’t accept the employer friend request. If a potential employer does try to friend you on Facebook, politely decline. There is no law stating you have to accept a friend request from a boss or a company. You can let the person or company know that your Facebook account is strictly to keep in contact with family. State that you are unable to accept the friend request because your Facebook account is a work-free zone. Opening your Facebook account up to a potential employer can prove to be a disaster. Even if you are qualified for a position, an employer or hiring manager may share different religious, political or other views than you. Remaining professional and not crossing the social media friendship line is important during the job interview and even after you have been offered the job.

Most importantly, if you do make an item public on Facebook- make sure it is positive. Anything that you share with a negative undertone, even though it is your opinion, can reflect poorly on your ability to handle conflict. This can be a problem for employers. No matter what profession you practice, customer service should always be a priority. Posting negative items on Facebook simply tells an employer that customer service isn’t your top priority and that your opinion matters more. In life this great, in the work place this is detrimental.

I always remind job candidates to keep their Facebook settings as private as possible. I even suggest using an alternative last name, if possible, on their accounts. Friends usually understand the reason for this and using a different last name prevents any slip-up finds by employers when searching your name.