Students who post graphic or
explicit content on their Myspace or
Facebook pages may find that such
postings can hurt their chances of
getting a job.
MySpace, which has been around
for several years, is a popular social
network that allows people to connect
with friends and users from
around the world. However, it might
not just be friends who are viewing
the site.
According to Christine Hagedorn,
the director of advising and counseling
services, many potential employers
use MySpace and Facebook to
check out a person’s electronic professionalism.
“You would be surprised at how
many people display inappropriate
content on their MySpace profiles,”
said Hagedorn. “Employers are pretty
curious about the type of individuals
they have applying for jobs,
therefore you can’t blame them.”
Websites like monster.com and
careerbuilder.com let people submit
their electronic resumes; but in such
situations the employers are at a disadvantage,
because they can’t actually
see those applicants in person.
So in an attempt to screen applicants,
employers are using social
websites to determine whether or not
a person has the credentials necessary
to take on the job.
For example, if someone has a profile
that contains offensive content,
then there’s a good chance that they
won’t be getting hired.
Kia Hayden, 21, from Levittown,
isn’t surprised by this fact. “I’m
already careful about the content I
post on my MySpace, and it’s mainly
for personal reasons. You don’t want
to only appear professional to
employers, but you also want to
attract the right people,” said Hayden.
Hayden is a computer science
major, and therefore familiar with
the public nature of the internet.
“I’ve always been fascinated by
computers,” she added, “but I also
know when to draw the line when it
comes to the internet.”
Josh Keaton, 23, an arts
major from Philadelphia,
had a liberal approach
towards MySpace.
According to Keaton,
MySpace and Facebook are
a place for him to express
himself, and he’s not willing
to compromise, not even for
a job.
“I go on MySpace and
Facebook as a creative outlet
for me to express myself.
So, if someone doesn’t want
to hire me because they don’t
like what I say, then they’re
not worth my time anyway,”
he said.
On the other hand, Jessica
Flora, 23, a paralegal student
from Bensalem, was
unaware of this practice.
“I know MySpace is public
and everything, but I can’t
believe companies actually
search for us,” said Flora.
Fortunately though, “My
Myspace is private.”
Facebook is another popular social
website, however it’s a little more
censored then MySpace. Here, you
have to be part of a particular network
in order to view someone’s profile.
According to Hayden, “Facebook
is a little bit more legitimate.”
Availability isn’t the only factor
for many companies when it comes
to filtering out applications.
“Many companies have people
looking for these red flags,” said
Hagedorn.