Those of you who know me well would agree I am usually a pretty positive person. I rather enjoy smiling, positive thinking, and laughter. With that said occasionaly it’s important to put on your “Debbie-Downer-pants,” if only to prepare yourself for potential problems. Well, blame it on the fact my coffee is now cold and I'm a little sassy about it but this morning I thought I would focus on the downside of online networking.

Okay seriously, I am not doing this to be cranky; I am doing this because there is value in understanding any strategy’s limitations. After all, that is what online networking is…a strategy for connecting. Although social media and online networking bring dozens of benefits to any job seeker, they can also have drawbacks.

The way I look at it…it’s best to be informed. You may be one of the lucky ones that somehow manage to be successful in online networking without experiencing any of these, but for the rest of us, here are a few risks to keep in mind when connecting with your next employer online…

Over-promise/Under-deliver
This one is a doozy. Have you noticed that most networks’ only give you a certain number of words to use in your bio? Therefore you are left summarizing your proficiencies, and many of us are left overstating our qualifications in an attempt to package our bio nicely (and with a sense of wordplay). In doing this we often become “experts,” or “gurus” or “enthusiasts.” Chances are at times in your professional career you are in fact ALL of these things, but there are also times in your career that we are all wearing a huge question mark over our head. Make sure that the titles you are extending in bios and on personal branding cards—in fact—match up to what you are capable of returning if hired.

Dilute Your Brand
This is a tough one to grasp, but unfortunately it’s also one of the most common downfalls of online networking. There are so many communities online, so many events to attend, and so many conferences to partake in. And I will ALWAYS be a fan of the Jack of all trades—but unfortunately when you are looking for your next gig, associating too many verticals with your name can be detrimental. As companies cut back on salary spend you would think they want someone with three or four specialties, but the experts are seeing the opposite occur. They are looking for people that are “known” for a certain niche. They want to hire someone that has tons of experience in a job position and knows how to make that position return to the bottom line. As you brand yourself online be careful not to throw all your talents out there. Focus on the ones you want to get hired for and THEN (after getting an interview) you can introduce other skills to the conversation.

Train and Run Syndrome
Online networking has enabled us all to constantly surround ourselves with new opportunities. Every day I meet new people doing new things, and I start chatting with them. How can I get involved? How can I learn from them? What can I offer? All of a sudden you are working on twenty projects, across half a dozen networks, with people all over the globe. You start adding blog links that you guest post on to your profiles; you start pushing content for a new cause every other hour, and so on and so forth. Online networking is the ADD of the internet and we all love it. Potential employers however—may not. They may look at you as a potential risk if hired. Will they only be around for a little while?  Are they looking for a side gig as they work on all of these other things? Should we even go through the hassle of hiring and training them only to have them leave us in 6 months? Be sure to tailor your online activity for the job you want to land. Show potential employers that you are genuinely interested in particular niches and let your online activity support your claim.

Reduce the Value of a Handshake
Luckily there has been a shift lately to re-focus our energies on taking online relationships OFFLINE, and I am personally very happy to see this. We all spend a great deal of our days offering out our hand in a virtual handshake. We send hello messages, we send follow-up emails, we befriend people, etc. Then when it’s time to actually take that relationship offline at a conference or during a business trip we find ourselves avoiding the real-life contact. Do not devalue the importance of a physical handshake my friends. It is still the best way to make an impression and a great tool when pushing your brand from online socializing to a potential candidate for hire. Trust me on that one.

These are all just a few pitfalls to excessively networking yourself online. Am I telling you to get offline and start dropping off resumes in person? Oh geeez no…half the companies you want to work for probably only exist online  With that said, it’s important to keep your brand intact, and use the power of online networking to land you a job in the REAL WORLD. After all last time I checked the internet wasn’t issuing checks based on the number of friend acceptances you receive in a single day...not yet atleast.