Facebook accounts are generally used for fun and games. However, the recruitment website called Monster seeks to change that and to turn Facebook into a social network geared for job hunting. They have developed an application called BeKnown, something of a social network for professionals which you can access through Facebook. The tricky thing here is that BeKnown incorporates some sort of China Wall which automatically filters out the things that you don’t want your colleagues or any potential employer to see.

However, in order to fully take advantage of this feature, you have to ‘unfriend’ your colleagues, or basically just anyone you want to have a strictly professional relationship with, on Facebook and confine them to your BeKnown account. This way, they’ll only see what you want them to see and you’ll avoid any social network faux pas incidents that might jeopardize your chance to get a job.

Then again, incorporating this app into your Facebook has numerous disadvantages. For one thing, it’s going to be difficult to explain why you’re cleaning up your friends list and removing your friends – or rather, acquaintances – from work. Some people are pretty sensitive, and unfriending them without explanation might not set so well with them. Unfriending them also raises the question of why you’re doing so or, worse, if you’re somehow hiding something. Of course, you can always keep your friends in both networks, but then you won’t be using the application to its full potential because your posts won’t be filtered.

Furthermore, Facebook’s environment, with all the funny videos, inane status updates, silly pictures, and all, isn’t exactly conducive to job hunting. It seems like it’s more practical to start anew in a professional network like LinkedIn, which is specifically made for job hunting or hiring.

On the other hand, BeKnown does have its advantages. LinkedIn can be such a competitive place, and it’s hard to catch up with some of the professionals there who have extremely intimidating profiles. BeKnown can be a haven for those fresh grads who are just starting out with their lives and hoping for a friend or a relative to hook them up with potential employers.

Also, one would wonder whether it’s really wise to link Facebook with anything that involves one’s professional life. It’s a gamble that has the potential to pay off, but also one that could come back to bite you if you aren’t careful.