As employers and companies are using social media more often to research candidates and applicants, it is becoming increasingly important for students to be wary of how they present themselves digitally, experts said.
Matt Tarpey, spokesman for CareerBuilder.com, said companies are making use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in considering employees.
“We do see an increasing number of companies using social media to research potential job candidates,” Tarpey said. “They’re looking for professionalism, creativity and points that will support the candidate’s qualifications and overall character.”
Tarpey said about 15 percent of employers report having decided not to hire a candidate based on social media.
“It’s unlikely that a job candidate’s chances of getting hired rest solely on his or her social media presence,” he said. “But how a job-seeker presents himself or herself online is taken into consideration.”
Students should be aware of how to use sites such as Facebook and Twitter to market themselves, Tarpey said.
“Facebook and Twitter are no longer simply places to share with friends, but rather a platform to begin building your personal brand,” he said. “It is crucially important for students to be aware of the power of social media, to put thought into what they post and how it reflects on them and to be conscious of their profile’s security settings.”
Employers are using a variety of resources to check the Internet presence of possible employees.
Social Intelligence is a company based on social media screening and research, according to its website. They provide a report based on the information an employer has requested about a job candidate found in their screening for up to seven years of past Internet activity using only publicly accessible information.
Taylor Delosh, a College of General Studies sophomore, said she thinks while students do not need to completely censor their profiles, they must be aware of their online presence.
“If you’re up there [on Facebook] and all of your pictures are crazy then that kind of reflects on your character,” Delosh said. “It all depends on what the extent of it is. I’ve grown up knowing not to post stuff.”
She said that when applying to be a coordinator for Boston University’s Alternative Spring Break Program, her Facebook was checked.
“They did flip through our stuff just to make sure, because we will be positive role models, we need to promote a good image of the program,” Delosh said.
Delosh said she thinks Facebook can be a useful tool for organizers.
“I kept sharing the ASB events and putting up pictures and statuses,” she said. “If you post enough it continually feeds on your Facebook and if you have enough people doing the same thing, lots of people will see it and you’ll have to pay attention eventually.”
College of Arts and Sciences freshman Marlo Kalb said she is cautious about what she posts on her online profile.
“With pictures I’m really aware of what pictures I post or what I’m tagged in,” she said. “I’ve heard that employers do check Facebook and I am aware of what I’m posting and stuff.”
Other than negative posts or pictures, employers won’t care about much else, Kalb said.
“I don’t know if anything could help, I think they [employers] are mostly looking for something bad,” she said.
Gui Von Zuben, a College of Engineering senior, said he does not give much thought to what he posts on Facebook, but has taken other strategies to avoid difficult situations with employers.
“It’s not something that I really pay attention to,” Von Zuben said. “One of the things I did to kind of avoid that was change my name a little bit. I don’t have my full last name listed, and I have even a nickname up. I mean I would hope that if an employer were to search for me, they wouldn’t be able to find me.”
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