That Beer Pong Pic Is Gonna Cost You a Job

by Kim Schutte

One of the primary reasons for going to college is to get a good job when you get out. It’s tough out there and college students need to actively NOT do anything to undermine internship and job opportunities. College students need to carefully curate their digital identity. Or they might get stuck with one they don't like. 

If it wouldn’t make Grandma proud: don’t post it

The digital world that today's students inhabit makes it necessary that they take great care about their social media use from an early age. Caution they employ in high school, hopefully under the watchful eye of their parents, must continue when they are in college, away from such watchful eyes. Because that’s where things often become a bit sticky.

College is a time to push boundaries and indulge in behaviors you probably don’t want to tell the whole world about. So DON’T tell the whole world. As tempting as it is, resist the urge to post that pic of you doing the limbo when you were "soooooo wasted, dude!"

And don't let friends tag you in their posts without your say so. Use your privacy settings wisely, and err on the side of caution.

Google is your new pre-interview

If you've been online for any length of time, you’ve heard horror stories about posts presumed to be private, turning out to be anything but. Even if you delete a post, you can never be sure someone didn't screengrab it first.

Remember, if you post it, it never goes away. It’s out there waiting for someone to find it.
And that someone might well be a prospective employer. In today’s economy, when good jobs are hard to come by and qualified employees are literally a dime-a-dozen, employers are conducting extensive due diligence before they commit to a new hire.

Increasingly part of that process is an extensive examination of a candidate’s social media presence. If they find something that makes them question a prospective employee’s fitness – pics of wasted limboing, for example – they will simply take a pass.

So while college is a time for new experiences and for pushing the envelope, it should not be a time of providing digital evidence to the whole world.

Think twice before posting images that contain:

• Alcohol, especially underage or excessive drinking
• Sexual acts, a kiss is alright but for anything else… keep it private
• Firearms, certainly if the picture appears aggressive it will be taken that way

Remember, if you wouldn't want your grandma to see it, don’t post it!

Do you think it is ethical for employers to check a candidate’s social media profiles? Are you careful about the digital "image" that you put out there for the world to see? Let me know in the comments how you curate your online image!

IMAGE CREDIT: DOCMONSTEREYES