The recent furor about privacy, employers and Facebook were the hot topic of conversation among my friends and family, both off and online.

On Facebook, hilariously enough, people were adamant about not giving a potential employer their Facebook password. It was determined that the best thing to do is just not put work or any sensitive information on any of your social media networks.

Most of us don’t really sit down and plan how we use our social media networks. We know to lock down sites we don’t want public, we know not to put too much personal information on them but do we really decide how to use social networks in a way that doesn’t trigger alarms with potential employers?

Other articles have dealt with the legality of whether employers in Canada can ask for employee passwords but here are a few ways to complain and not get caught.

Plan Before You Post

If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or LinkedIn, decide what and how you’re going to use each of them. Are you going to use LinkedIn strictly for professional networking while Pinterest becomes an electronic cork board?

Go Anonymous

We all get annoyed with work and bosses but if you really need to complain, keep it anonymous. Don’t put your real name down on your Facebook, don’t use a nickname that’s easy to figure out and of course, don’t name names.

Put It Down on Actual Paper

We’ve become so used to putting our thoughts down on electronic media that we’ve forgotten how to put them down on paper. Journalling or keeping an diary is a healthy way to work through negative thoughts and keeps your career safe.

Face to Face

Call a friend who does not work in your industry and go out for a drink or dinner. Chose a location that isn’t frequented by your company. Check your surroundings before you begin to unload.

You get the same effect of being able to vent about work and nothing is written down anywhere on the Internet.

Doing any of these things means that you can blow off steam with less chance of a future employer finding anything negative should he or she go hunting. (And was we’ve said before, 91% of employers say that they do screen potential candidates on social media sites.)