Potential employers might not ‘like’ your Facebook

Lack of discretion on social networking sites can hinder professional life

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Twenty years ago having a tattoo was a big deal. It was a major deterrent from jobs and set you apart in a bad way. Now tattoos are commonplace. In most cases they aren't a setback to professional image — simply rolling down one's sleeve before heading into work can make even someone with a full arm of ink look like a Wall Street executive.

But in today's fast-paced, technology-fueled world, people have to be especially careful about image. The Internet never forgets, and as more and more of our lives are being spent online, more of our lives are being recorded on the Web. This can be devastating to personal reputations. The Internet cuts both ways, and as a society we must eventually come to terms with its everlasting memory.

A recent Microsoft study found 75 percent of U.S . human-resource professionals report their companies require them to do online research about job candidates. This number is only growing.

One slip and forever more you are looked at by employers as the drunk at a party or the kid taking a picture of his speedometer going over 100 mph on the highway. Inopportune Internet exposure even affects celebrities: singer Miley Cyrus and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps lost millions of dollars in sponsorships after pictures of them taking bong hits popped up on the Web.

A friend of mine was recently asked by the nonprofit organization he worked for to resign because of a Facebook post about doing karaoke at a local pub. The line between public and private is being blurred, and as our private lives become more accessible, our employers are becoming more interested.

Not only are there self-inflicted wounds to reputations, but there is also libel. Anyone can post or say whatever they want. It is what makes the Internet both wonderful and horrifying. It is not only what you post but also what your friends post — or what was said during that really bad breakup with a girlfriend on Facebook or Twitter. Even untrue comments can be taken as truth by prospective employers.

In the digital age, we have the "viral" content — Internet tidbits everyone and their mother knows about it. Could you imagine being the subject of one of these funny viral videos? For years people will stop you and ask, "Are you are the guy from that video?"

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, in an interview with Holman Jenkins of The Wall Street Journal, speculated that one day young people will be allowed to change his or her name on reaching adulthood to disown youthful misconduct documented on social media sites.

Is such a drastic measure required for humanity to accept its wrongdoing, or can we just move on and forget? Even if you change your name, tech-savvy people can still put the pieces together. Your name is your identity, and to lose that is to lose yourself.

Twenty years from now, drunken party pictures on social media might be as socially acceptable as tattoos. But in the meantime, watch what you post.

Vincent Haines is the photo editor at The Inkwell. He may be reached at Sports.Inkwell@gmail.com .

Source: http://www.theinkwellonline.com