It seems that more and more lately we are hearing our professors say that our online profiles on Facebook, MySpace, and other Internet sites could feasibly make or break our chances of getting certain jobs. Well, according to this article, that is true. Not only do we have to worry about our profile content on our favorite social networking sites, but we also have to be aware that potential employers are Googling us and considering all available results, good and bad.
This article gives an insider's perspective on how to be prepared if and when skeletons come out of the closet as well as what to do to prevent it and protect ourselves. While most of us don't have an excess amount of information about us on the Internet yet, the tips given are helpful to remember if needed for later use. Since we will be going into media related fields it can be expected that as we build our professional portfolios in the future we will all have more information on the Internet.
The tips that pertain to us now are obvious, like cleaning up your Facebook profile when starting the job search. But most are good for the future. For example, the journalist who wrote the article was once blasted in a blog post for another article she wrote. Instead of sitting back and taking the criticism she fired back. She approached the blogger in a response to his post. This rebuttal paid off as the blogger respected her move and posted an apology. Many times just approaching a site to request that some information about you be removed will suffice. This was surprising to me. There is a lot of other good advice in this article that I found very beneficial. In the increasingly digital-driven world we cannot be too careful about what information is out about us.
3 comments:
I'm going to refer to this post in senior seminar in a few weeks, Lauren. Nice job!
I actually deleted my myspace account after hearing about the ways employers will research their potentials. I really enjoyed this post Lauren!
Drunk rambling, nudity and your interest in clubbing have no place in a professional atmosphere, so why post it online for current and potential employers to see? Social networking sites such as: Facebook, MySpace and even blogging sites allow the world to view your most personal thoughts and traits. One thing to remember is that the world doesn’t have to know your entire life story, and if they do, it can make or break your career with the simple click of a mouse. In the article, Cleaning up your Digital Dirt, Eve Tahmincioglu gives us insight on how to clean up one’s social networking page to make it professionally suitable while still maintaining who you are.
Think of it this way: if you were an employer and had the opportunity to view a prospective hire’s Facebook page, would you? To make sure that you are “clean” on the web, do a Google search of your name and see what comes up, and if there is anything that you can change or retract. Next: take a look at your personal social networking page and consider if you are being suitable online.
Public relations are all about networking; and in this digital age, be careful what you post.
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