You have a photo of yourself on Facebook that you think is truly awesome and you communicate with the most renowned party goers on campus. Your Myspace.com profile details your favourite social activities and the wildest events you have ever attended. And don’t forget about that crazy video that your friends posted of you on YouTube. At this time your entire online presence relates solely to your social network.
Three years later you are graduating from University and are now in the job market. Is your online profile appropriate for viewing by a potential employer or recruiter? Will an HR professional receive a positive impression of you?
There are many students who learn that their sexually explicit photos, details of their drinking and recreational drug use, inappropriate language, disparaging comments and lewd jokes posted on their profiles can negatively affect their job search.
Your resume is a critical tool in your job search but not everyone is aware that most HR professionals will also do an online search of all potential employees. Do you have anything online that could hurt your future job prospects? You may want to google yourself to be aware of the information that is available for public view.