Do You Need to Protect Your Online Image?
Is a college admissions officer really going to care how you spent your Saturday night? Maybe not, but many high school students aren’t leaving anything to chance when they apply to the schools of their dreams. A recent New York Times article documented how many teens are changing their names on Facebook as a way to “throw off” colleges and universities who might be checking up on them during the application process.
High school students aren’t the only people doing this. Many young professionals are also going by an alias or opting to get rid of their Facebook profiles altogether to avoid possible online image problems.
Since our interns at Doe-Anderson are current college students or recent graduates, I asked them how they felt about this issue. Their feedback was very telling.
“As a recent graduate and job hunter, how I am perceived on the internet is very important since more and more interaction between employees and businesses is done through the computer and internet, and less face to face.”
“I know that employers looked at the profiles, which is why I made mine private and cleaned it up. I always watch what I post on friends’ walls and what photos I upload because once something is on the internet, it is there forever.”
“When I began looking for internships, I did become more concerned with what was on my page. It was not that I necessarily had anything bad on my site, but more that people could form an opinion of who I am before getting the chance to know me in person. First impressions can be lasting ones.”
They were also quite aware of the consequences of posting inappropriate comments or material on Facebook. While none of them had experienced any problems first hand, many knew of someone who had.
“I heard about a woman posting she was having a bad day at work and that she wanted a new job… she was fired two weeks later.”
“A classmate of mine had some questionable pictures on his Facebook profile, which caused him to gain disciplinary action from our university. In addition to this, I have known it to be rumored that my Alma matter monitors its students’ Facebook profiles and will impose disciplinary action if necessary.”
I’d love to get some additional thoughts on this topic. Is it fair to use Facebook to check up on potential employees? If someone posts questionable material on their personal page, should it be used against them?
Image by smemon87 via Flickr
