Like it or not, employers are using Google as a tool when checking out new employees. If you have a Facebook album full of photos from a keg stand competition, or have a blog that describes bong building or sexual trapeze acts, it’s likely someone evaluating you for a job will see it.

What should you think about when you evaluate your online presence?

1. Criminal behavior—yours and others.
Remember that multiple students have been criminally convicted from evidence they provided against themselves online that proved underage drinking or vandalism. Also, don’t provide information that would let a stalker or identity thief find your personal details.

2. How a potential employer will view you.
Employers don’t expect you to be perfect—but you do need to have some judgment about what you share with the world. By setting your Facebook profile to private, or using other privacy settings, you can still share information with your friends, but retain a professional image in the wider world. For example, if you have a blog with information that you’d rather not have future employers see, use a pseudonym rather than your real name. Don’t forget that even if you set your Facebook page as private, the comments you make on other pages may be public!

Think it can’t happen to you? Read about some students who learned the hard way: