This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Minnesota chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
After a long week of studying and stressing about school, most college students
go into party mode Thursday-Saturday nights. Fun is had, pictures are taken, and
most students can finally breathe a sigh of relief after an enjoyable weekend. Then
Sunday rolls around, and all the photographs taken at that raging party you were
at Friday night surface on Facebook. Think no one cares? Think again! Employers
are watching you and your online profiles.
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As daunting as this may seem, it is the reality we face as college students in this
digital age. Every Facebook picture, Tweet, and blog post is easily accessible for
anyone searching. The key to successfully tailoring your online profiles: keep it
clean. Follow these tips to keep your social media profiles employer-friendly.
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1. Stop posting drunk-related content. This includes photos from your
alcohol-filled weekend or misspelled status updates and Tweets from when
you were intoxicated. To avoid using social media while you are out with
your friends, change your password for the night to something you won’t
remember while intoxicated. (Write it down at home for the morning after!)
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2. If you don’t wish to avoid posting drunken pictures, keep your
profiles on high security. Take the time to dig through the privacy pages
of Facebook to make sure no-one outside of your friend zone can see
your content. A lack of privacy settings on your profile is inviting future
employers to look at your party photos from last weekend.
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3. Create two accounts. If you love sharing everything with your friends
online, create two accounts: one personal with high privacy settings, and one
professional with little privacy. Use the professional account to interact with
professionals in your industry as an impressive use of social media.
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4. Change your profile pictures. Believe it or not, employers are judging
your profile pictures even if they cannot see the rest of your profile. Change
your picture from the one with you and a beer in your hand to a more
conservative photo of just yourself, or with someone you respect.
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5. Use correct grammar and spell-check all content. No matter what
industry you are entering, employers want to see that you have basic,
professional communication skills. Treat each status and Tweet like it is
being sent directly to a hiring director. (Tip: To show off your writing, start
a blog about something you are passionate about. Keeping a blog can
showcase your writing skills, grammar skills, and passion for something
besides drinking!)
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Keeping your online profiles clean can be easy, as long as you are proactive in
keeping negative content away. Nothing makes you a more stand-out job candidate
than keeping your image as professional as possible.