As summer vacation winds down and young adults try to pack all
the fun they can into the time remaining before school or college
starts, they should keep in mind that those actions can follow them
into adulthood.

Dr. Holly Spittler, associate dean of student affairs and
director of career services at the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford, explained to The Era that MySpace and Facebook, social
networking sites on the Internet, can have a lasting affect on a
person’s life.

“When students post a photo or make a comment that they think
will entertain their circle of friends, they fail to realize that a
potential employer may view their online profiles as
unprofessional, inappropriate or over the line,” Spittler said.

“Applicants’ online profiles can affect their job searches. The
number of teenager and young adults who use social networking sites
is staggering, and the number of employers who search the Internet
for information on job applicants is steadily growing.”

While the sites may invite users to create a “private
community,” it really is anything but.

“Those sites might make it appear that it’s private, but
essentially it’s public space,” Spittler said. One doesn’t have to
be a member of MySpace to search the site, but can easily sign up
to either site for access to any posted information.

“I wanted to see what an employer could see,” she said,
explaining she went to the MySpace home page and was able to view
people’s weblogs, or “blogs,” and the content that was entered
there.

With online self-comments describing a person as a “party
animal,” or as a “lazy butt,” an employer might hesitate to offer
that person a job.

A survey done by CollegeGrad.com found that 47 percent of
college graduates seeking jobs who use MySpace or Facebook plan to
or already have changed the content of their blogs because of their
job searches.

Spittler explained that Pitt-Bradford has begun addressing the
issue already. At the annual “From Backpack to Briefcase” seminar,
representatives of the university warned students “that a temporary
lapse of good judgment can result in a long-term negative
consequence when they post inappropriate information or photographs
on social networking Web sites,” she said.

Those consequences can be more serious than an employer having
second thoughts about a job candidate.

Rhett Kennedy, associate of student affairs who handles the code
of conduct at Pitt-Bradford, cautions that when students place
photographs of themselves engaging in illegal activities, they can
be held liable. He added that blogs and on-line diaries can lead to
misunderstandings and conflicts, as well as harassment.

Spittler added another caution – “someone else might post a
photo of you on their own Web page,” she said. “Even if you’re
careful, an employer might find something.”

She advises that job seekers go to the search engine Google,
select “more” from the choices offered, then select “even more.”
This will take the searcher to a page where one can select “blog
search.”

Enter your own name to see what is there, she suggests.

Spittler said that, while the negative aspects of the networking
sites may seem scary, the sites do serve useful purposes as
well.

“It’s not necessarily bad,” she said of the sites, explaining
some blogs showcase a person’s creativity, knowledge of literature
or other positive points. “Use good judgment. Don’t write anything
you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of a newspaper.”