Like it or not, employers are using Google as a tool when checking out new employees.  If you have a MySpace page with photos of you doing a keg stand, or have a blog that describes bong building or sexual trapeze acts, it’s likely it will be seen by someone evaluating you for a job.

With the recent partnership between Jobster and Facebook, recruiters now have access to profiles, and personal information, about you like never before.

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

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

2. How a potential employer will view you.
Employers don’t expect you to be perfect–but you do need to have some judgement 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.  If you have a MySpace page or a blog, use a pseudonym, rather than your real name.
Don’t forget that even if you set your MySpace or Facebook pages as private, the comments you make on other pages may be public!  All you have to do is look at the main MSU Facebook page for some examples of inappropriate comments that are highly sexual and unprofessional.

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