As you may have read from the coach before, social and business networks are a great way to meet and network with direct and indirect contacts. These can be very useful when looking for a job, obtaining general information or finding the right personnel for your business. However these same networks can be very dangerous to your career.

Linkedin is one of the best business networking tools available to you. You need to ensure your profile is kept current. Many recruiters as surfing Linkedin while searching for their next hire. If you do not keep your profile and skills updated with your latest information, you could be looked-over. Worse yet, you could be a final candidate for a position and during the final background checks your resume does not match your Linkedin profile setting off red flags to the hiring manager.

The social networks such as Facebook and MySpace are the most dangerous. You must be careful of the content that is posted by you and about you. Showing too much of your personal and private life could be detrimental to your career. Imagine a recruiter doing a final background check sees pictures of you from a bachelor party? A night out with the boys? Other compromising situations? A recruiter could have second thoughts. Just as bad as pictures, are your words. Controversial postings and foul language would also set off red flags to a recruiter or your current employer.

Always be careful about what gets posted about you on the internet by googling yourself regularly to see what is out there. Be sure to check all social sites to ensure your profiles are current. Always make sure you use the proper security settings to ensure only the people you want to see your information is allowed. In the event you find something you would not like anyone to see, you have the right to ask them to remove the information.

It's not until you see what a great job and your son and daughter are doing with their children, then you get this warm feeling that you've done a good job in life. Life is crazy and priorities change year after year , decade to decade, we often measure our life success on many things, financial capability and career growth is how a large part of we measure success. I offer to resurface one "new" measure, its "what you leave behind". When you're able to sit back in a chair and watch your children raise and play with your grandchildren, then you'll finally recognize that the those little success factors simply merge into one. Unfortunately we all have to see this for ourselves to understand and believe it, but If I am judged by what I left behind, I feel I have been very successful. Just ask the elderly gentleman that has been retired for 24 years how he will measure success? I don't think it will be the position he held when he left the job market. I am blessed, thank you very much to my loved ones that continue to make me feel successful. Food for thought, then we have to get back to business....