This article was inspired by a recent article on ABC Tech & Games about the perils of social media for job seekers.

In 2010, I was working for a consultancy firm. I had been in the job for a couple of weeks as a junior with part of my working day given to working with the in-house graphic designer.

Jokes were thrown around between colleagues about the habits of others-a bit of harmless commentary. On occasion, these jokes made it to my social media page. When I found that the designer at this firm liked using a particularly outdated font, I just had to share it via social media with some of the alumni from my graphic design school. I also kidded with him about it, joking about the fact that designers these days would ostracise him for using it. I would find out later that this was a mistake.

It was not uncommon to arrive at work at 6am and then leave at 11pm. Because of the long days, three meals were provided and eaten together, either with colleagues or with clients. Sometimes I found that the food provided wasn't substantial enough. So, one day, I popped out to get extra food only a block away at McDonald's, while other colleagues were taking one of their smoking breaks. It took less than 15 minutes. The food outlet I chose happened to be right next to the city's new Apple Store, and so, as I walked past, I Facebooked about this accidental discovery before returning to the office. Sometimes, when the working day was nearly over, I would mention the time and that I was still at the office, letting people know where I was through my social media networks.

Towards the end of one particular client meeting, I was called in to talk to one of the senior managers at the firm. The conversation started off reasonably enough; she asked me whether I felt like I was a good fit at the firm. I answered that I was struggling to keep up with the working hours, and wasn't necessarily getting a good night's sleep. She remained silent for a moment, then proceeded to hand over a number of printouts that she'd collected over the past couple of days, highlighted for my attention. It was a list of every status I'd ever posted about the firm, my colleagues and my working habits.

I had become friends with a particular colleague at the office, and added her on Facebook. We got along famously, sharing jokes at the office and working very well together. However, it turned out that she had been monitoring my Facebook page, and then sharing every status I ever posted about the firm with the senior management.

I felt utterly violated as these printouts were handed to me, as if someone had searched through my things without asking permission, digging through my trash and taking every single status out of context. My heart racing, I sought to explain each individual post and clarify my motivation for each one. But it was too late-every status had been analysed as a stand-alone statement.

I was accused of gravely insulting the senior in-house graphic designer over his use of a font. I was accused of going to McDonald's during working hours and visiting the Apple Store along the way. And finally, I was accused of complaining about the working hours. None of this was true or fair. I was then instructed to "take a break" from working with them, assured that I would be called within the next two months to discuss working again, and then shown the door. They never called.

Those of us who have used social media for any length of time know how easy it is to make a mistake, whether it is posting a slightly risky joke about someone, an ill-advised comment on your work or a compromising photo of yourself doing something at a party you wouldn't normally do. But the lesson I learned was that-taken out of context- just about anything on your social media networks can be misinterpreted.

My Facebook page is now private. I don't add work colleagues as friends and I am exceptionally careful about what I post at any time, not making disparaging comments about anything, or anyone, on the off-chance that a potential employer or client might be looking. These days I work in social media, explaining to individuals and companies the joys and perils of social networking as they construct strategies for their businesses. And unfortunately, I can speak from experience.

Don't give prospective employers any reason to question your integrity; monitor your social networks with care, mindful that someone, who doesn't know you like your friends do, could always be watching.