Most writers need a day job to keep them financially afloat. But the advent of social media sites has changed the way we look for work. Below are a few things I have learned during my search for a new job:

1. Before a job interview, you can look your interviewer(s) up on LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook to get an idea of their professional background, their likes and dislikes, etc.
2. They’ll be checking you out too, so make sure you set your privacy settings on Facebook, so that only your friends can see your embarrassing pictures.
3. Unless you protect your feed, *anyone* can read what you write on Twitter. So use some common sense and don’t post anything that could offend or discourage a potential employer.
4. LinkedIn is very useful as an online CV but beware how much personal information you put there. Don’t make yourself vulnerable to identity thieves.
5. Beware when signing up to multiple email job alerts that the same vacancy may be advertised by several compteting agencies, and you may therefore end up unwittingly applying for the same role two or three times.

Are you an author with a day job? How do you balance work and writing? Do you take an undemanding job in order to save your energy for writing, or do you look for stimulating work to give you ideas and experiences to write about?