In a tight job market, building and maintaining an online presence is critical to networking and job hunting. Done right, it can be an important tool for present and future networking and useful for potential employers trying to get a sense of who you are, your talents and your experience. Done wrong, it can easily take you out of the running for most positions.

Here are five mistakes online job hunters make:

1. Forgetting manners.

If you use Twitter or you write a blog, you should assume that hiring managers and recruiters will read your updates and your posts. A December 2009 study by MicrosoftCorp. found that 79% of hiring managers and job recruiters review online information about job applicants before making a hiring decision. Of those, 70% said that they have rejected candidates based on information that they found online. Top reasons listed? Concerns about lifestyle, inappropriate comments, and unsuitable photos and videos.

"Everything is indexed and able to be searched," says Miriam Salpeter, an Atlanta-based job search and social media coach. "Even Facebook, which many people consider a more private network, can easily become a trap for job seekers who post things they would not want a prospective boss to see."

Don't be lulled into thinking your privacy settings are foolproof. "All it takes is one person sharing information you might not want shared, forwarding a post, or otherwise breaching a trust for the illusion of privacy in a closed network to be eliminated," says Ms. Salpeter, who recommends not posting anything illegal (even if it's a joke), criticism of a boss, coworker or client, information about an interviewer, or anything sexual or discriminatory. "Assume your future boss is reading everything you share online," she says.

2. Overkill.

Blanketing social media networks with half-done profiles accomplishes nothing except to annoy the exact people you want to impress: prospective employees trying to find out more about on you.

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• DISCUSS

“”— Ian McLaren

One online profile done well is far more effective than several unpolished and incomplete ones, says Sree Sreenivasan, dean of students at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He made the decision early on to limit himself to three social-networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. "There is just not enough time," he says. "Pick two or three, then cultivate a presence there."

Many people make the mistake of joining LinkedIn and other social media sites and then just letting their profiles sit publicly unfinished, says Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokesperson. "Just signing up for an account simply isn't enough," she says. "At a bare minimum, make sure you're connected to at least 35 people and make sure your profile is 100 percent complete. Members with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn."

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the three most popular social networking sites for human resources managers to use for recruiting, according to a survey released last month by JobVite, a maker of recruiting software.

3. Not getting the word out.

When accounting firm Dixon Hughes recently had an opening for a business development executive, Emily Bennington, the company's director of marketing and development, posted a link to the opportunity on her Facebook page. "I immediately got private emails from a host of people in my network, none of whom I knew were in the market for a new job," she says. " I understand that there are privacy concerns when it comes to job hunting, but if no one knows you're looking, that's a problem, too."

I've heard a few complaints from people looking for entry level jobs that go something like "I've applied for 500 jobs over the last two months and I haven't heard back from anyone!" If you're applying to that many jobs, are you really taking the time to write a cover letter that is specific to the job and company for each posting? Are you tweaking your resume to make sure that your related coursework applies to the specific job?

Changing this can be as simple as updating your status on LinkedIn and other social networking sites to let people know that you are open to new positions. If you're currently employed and don't want your boss to find out that you're looking, you'll need to be more subtle. One way to do this is to give prospective employers a sense of how you might fit in, says Dan Schawbel, author of "Me 2.0" and founder of Millennial Branding. "I recommend a positioning, or personal brand statement, that depicts who you are, what you do, and what audience you serve, so that people get a feeling for how you can benefit their company."

4. Quantity over quality.

Choose connections wisely; only add people you actually know or with whom you've done business. Whether it's on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other networking site, "it's much more of a quality game than a quantity game," says Ms. Canfield. A recruiter may choose to contact one of your connections to ask about you; make sure that person is someone you know and trust.

And there's really no excuse for sending an automated, generic introduction, says Ms. Canfield. "Taking the extra five to 10 seconds to write a line or two about how you know the other person and why'd you'd like to connect to them can make the difference between them accepting or declining your connection request," she says. "It also doesn't hurt to mention that you're more than willing to help them or introduce them to other people in your network."

5. Online exclusivity.

Early last year, Washington's Tacoma Public Utilities posted a water meter reader position on its website. The response? More than 1,600 people applied for the $17.76 an hour position.

With the larger number of people currently unemployed (and under-employed), many employers are being inundated with huge numbers of applications for any positions they post. In order to limit the applicant pool, some have stopped posting positions on their websites and job boards, says Tim Schoonover, chairman of career consulting firm OI Partners.

Scouring the Web for a position and doing nothing else is rarely the best way to go. "When job-seekers choose to search for jobs exclusively online– rather than also include in-person networking–they may be missing out on 'hidden' opportunities," says Mr. Schoonover. "Higher-level jobs are not posted as often as lower-level jobs online. In-person networking may be needed to uncover these higher-level positions, which may be filled by executive recruiters."

Credits to Elizabeth Garone http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704913304575371202791043546.html

It's performance review season, and you know the drill. Drag each of your direct reports into a conference room for a one-on-one, hand them an official-looking document, and then start in with the same, tired conversation. Say some positive things about what the employee is good at, then some unpleasant things about what he's not good at, and end — wearing your most solicitous grin — with some more strokes of his ego. The result: a mixed message that leaves even your best employees feeling disappointed. But if you take the right approach, appraisals are an excellent opportunity to reinforce solid performers and redirect the poor ones.

What the Experts Say
For many employees, a face-to-face performance review is the most stressful work conversation they'll have all year. For managers, the discussion is just as tense. "What a performance appraisal requires is for one person to stand in judgment of another. Deep down, it's uncomfortable," says Dick Grote, author of How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals. Evaluating an employee's job performance should consist of more than an annual chat, according to James Baron, the William S. Beinecke Professor of Management at Yale School of Management. Performance management is a process, he says. "Presumably you're giving a tremendous amount of real-time feedback, and your employees are people you know well. Hopefully your relationship can survive candid feedback." No matter what kind of appraisal system your company uses, here are several strategies to help you make performance review season less nerve-racking and more productive.

Set expectations early
The performance review doesn't start with a sit-down in the spare conference room. You must be clear from the outset how you'll evaluate your employees. Grote suggests holding "performance planning" sessions with each of your direct reports at the beginning of the year, to discuss that person's goals and your expectations. "You'll see immediate improvement in performance because everyone knows what the boss expects," he says. "And it earns you the right to hold people accountable at the end of the year." Listen carefully to your employees' personal ambitions, as it will inform the way you assess their work. "Oftentimes managers are evaluating performance without necessarily knowing what that person's career aspirations are. We often assume that everyone wants to be CEO. But that's not always the case," says Barron. Understanding what your direct reports want from their careers will help you figure out ways to broaden their professional experiences.

Lay the groundwork
About two weeks before the face-to-face review, ask your employee to jot down a few things he's done over the last year that he's proud of. This will both help refresh your memory, and "will put a positive focus on an event that is so often seen as negative," says Grote. Next, go over other notes you've kept on your employee over the year: a well-executed project; a deadline missed; the deft handling of a difficult client. Finally, ask for feedback from others in the company who work closely with your employee. "The larger number of independent evaluations the better," says Barron. About an hour before the meeting, give your employee a copy of his appraisal. That way, he can have his initial emotional response — positive or negative — in the privacy of his own cubicle. "When people read someone's assessment of them, they are going to have all sorts of churning emotions," says Grote. "Let them have that on their own time, and give them a chance to think about it." Then with a calmer, cooler head, the employee can prepare for a rational and constructive business conversation.

Set a tone
Too often the face-to-face conversation takes the form of a "feedback sandwich:" compliments, criticism, more niceties. But because there's no single, clear message this approach demoralizes your stars and falsely encourages your losers. Instead, pick a side. "Most people are good solid workers, so for the vast majority, you should concentrate exclusively on things the person has done well," says Grote, adding that this method tends to motivate people who are already competent at their jobs. For your marginal workers, however, do not sugarcoat bad news. Performance reviews are your chance to confront poor performers and demand improvement. "People are resilient," says Grote. "As time goes on, that person is not going to get a promotion and not going to get a raise...You're not doing this person any favors by [avoiding their deficiencies]."

Constructively coach
After discussing the strengths and achievements of your solid performers, ask them how they feel about how things are going. "In most cases you're dealing with mature adults and you'll elicit their honest concerns," says Grote. For both solid and poor performers, frame feedback in terms of a "stop, start, and continue" model, suggests Barron. What is the employee doing now that is not working? What are they doing that is highly effective? What actions should they adopt to be more so? By focusing on behaviors not dispositions, it takes the personal edge out of the conversation. Give specific advice and targeted praise. "Don't say things like: 'You need to be more proactive.' That doesn't mean anything. Say something like: 'You need to take more initiative in calling potential sales leads.'" Similarly, "Saying: 'You're an innovator' is nice but it's helpful to know exactly what they're doing that reflects that," says Barron.