Students: Don’t Let Facebook Cost You Your Next Internship

Entry by Pat Patterson

Although you may perceive Facebook as a personal social media tool, don’t think that your friends are the only ones searching for you.  I have heard countless “horror” stories of students who did not get a job or an internship or who have even been fired because of the content in their Facebook profile.  Many organizations also routinely search for students on Facebook after reviewing their resumes – this is becoming a more and more common practice. 

In the July INTERNnetwork, I included some tips on how to create a professional Facebook profile.  To recap:

– Use a head shot photo for your profile picture and delete, un-tag, or hide unprofessional/inappropriate pictures,
– in the “About Me” section, list networking as something you are interested in,
– include interests relevant to your career goals in the “Interests” section,
– join groups or “Like” pages that are related to the industries, markets, or organizations of your interest,
– use your “Bio” section to express your career interests and aspirations,
– include your education and prior work experience,
– include links to your online portfolio, resume, and/or blog, and
– use the status bar to share your opinion on current events in industries of your interest, share article you write, and let others know you are internship/job searching.

Instead of costing you your next internship, through creating a professional profile, Facebook may help you acquire one.  Facebook is essentially a marketing tool – you control the image of yourself that others will see – similar to your resume, you will want to represent yourself in the best light.  Just as you wouldn’t include “great at doing ‘kegstands’” on your resume, your profile picture should not be a photo of yourself doing a ‘kegstand” if you know that employers may search for and view your profile.

I hope you find this information helpful and I’d like to know what you may think.  Do you agree or does anyone have any “horror” stories that they would not mind sharing?  For your reference, I will include a screenshot of a professional Facebook profile in the blog for next Wednesday.