Category | Arts & Living

Students clean up their acts, starting with their Facebook pages

Published on November 3, 2009 by Jenny Harrison

E-mail address? Check. Profile picture? Check. Interests, activities and favorite movies?

Schmidt (above) is careful about what he posts on his facebook page. Photo by Mallory Brewer.

Check, check and check. Creating a Facebook account is a simple and fun way to reconnect with lost acquaintances, but where do you draw the line on what information you should include on such social networking sites?

Social networking sites have revolutionized the way students connect with each other. However, students should realize that networking sites have also drastically changed the hiring process for companies, creating a new procedure that has the potential to affect every individual with a Facebook profile.

A survey released this year by CareerBuilder.com stated that 45 percent of employers used social networking sites like Facebook to weed out potential employees.  Why are companies suddenly using these Web sites?

Senior political science major Kevin Schmidt said it’s due to the vast amount of information available about candidates on Facebook. Members using the Web site can list personal information such as political and religious views, interests, activities and all of their favorite bands, books and movies. They can also upload an unlimited number of photographs and videos.

“It has the most in-depth information,” Schmidt said. “It’s the easiest way to find out general mannerisms: how they dress, what they do in their spare time and general interests.”

Schmidt has also experienced an employer review of his own Facebook.

“I know when I applied for an internship they actually told me that they looked at my Facebook,” Schmidt said. “If you make a Facebook, you have to expect it. It’s in the public domain.”

How can you avoid receiving unsatisfactory reviews from potential employers in the future and still maintain a fun networking page?

Schmidt and senior communication major Andrew Groom weighed in on this issue to develop a list of do’s and don’ts that students should follow when creating and maintaining their social networking pages.

The first and most obvious tip from Schmidt and Groom is to do away with any questionable images. Remember those drunken photos during your freshman year or in that rather revealing Halloween costume from a few years ago? It’s best to showcase those memories somewhere other than Facebook, so take a few moments to look through your photographs to delete the most offensive ones.

Schmidt said he has already completed this process and has untagged himself from several photos.

“That’s probably the biggest thing students should check,” Schmidt said. “Either remove them or go under your privacy settings and make it so certain people can’t look at them.”

Schmidt and Groom agree that changing privacy settings is the simplest way to prevent unwanted viewing of profiles.

“You really have to tighten down on your privacy settings,” Schmidt said. “If you don’t want people snooping around in your stuff even though you are in a public network you have to make sure they knock on the door before you let them in.”

Beyond locking down your profile and eliminating any not-so-professional photographs, it is important to review the written content you post as well.

Through Facebook, users can generate notes on any topic they choose and create a status containing any information they wish. The ability to post content instantaneously and without any censorship could lead to problems for students when they start searching for jobs.

Schmidt recommends that students take down unusual notes or any links to Web sites that employers might find distasteful.

“Make sure you don’t put anything too crazy in your status and cut down on the cursing or general vulgar stuff,”  Schmidt said.

Groom said it sometimes just comes down to using better grammar when posting original content.

“You see people with numbers for words a lot.  You should just make yourself seem competent online,” Groom said. “That makes a world of difference.  There’s nothing wrong with being smart.”

While posting negative information on your profile can turn employers away from hiring you, there are ways to clean up your Facebook page to make it more appealing.

“It’s actually a useful tool to find out more information about who’s applying,” Schmidt said. “There’s the part where you can see your employment history-almost like a resume. You can definitely hype up what you’ve been doing.”

In addition to filling out this section in detail, Groom recommends you also post content about your current work to show you’re interested in what you’re doing.

Although it’s necessary to regulate the information you post, it’s still OK to have fun with your profile by personalizing it to represent yourself.  Just remember to watch what you post.

“If you’re worried about your grandma seeing or hearing it, then don’t post it on Facebook,” Groom said. “That’s my rule of thumb.”