Missouri Western State University warns students that posting their personal life online could cost them future jobs. The internet has become a free background check for employers.
More and more employers are browsing sites like Facebook and MySpace. They turn what students use for self expression and communication into an informal background check.
"Later on someone else will say I saw you on Facebook what a great outfit you had on or didn’t have on and that could cost them an interview a job or something else," Western Dean of Student Development, Dr. Paul Shang, said.
KQ2 asked Missouri Western students what their Facebook pages say about them.
"That I`m busy, busy, busy," Western student, Janelle Banks, said.
"That I just like to have fun," Western student, Tiffany Zimmerman, said.
"Oh she`s kind of boring her pictures are just really normal," Western student, Meredith Meyers, said.
"They probably get the impression this guy likes to party a lot when in actuality I only go out once a month," Western student, Warren Webb, said.
Webb said that`s because the only pictures posted are from a night out with friends.
"It`s really the perceptions of others," Western Student Employment and Development Director, Jeff Wilson, said.
Wilson warns students there`s no way to explain away an inside joke or picture.
"There may be a perfect legitimate reason you have a quote on there in your eyes but it`s from your perspective," Wilson said.
A good rule of thumb is not posting a picture or blog that involves over indulgence. Most of the students KQ2 spoke to already regulate their sites for different reasons.
"Anybody can see this you have to take that into account when a friend is posting a picture," Western student, Harrold Callaway, said. Callaway`s job goals keep his page pretty tame.
"I`m on a full scholarship so I need to be careful what`s on there, something I`d let my mom see," Meyers said.
Others said since they`re of drinking age they don`t see anything wrong with posting party pictures.
"They should go by your resume and your qualifications," Webb said. "Your personal life shouldn`t have much to do with being hired for a job."
In today`s high tech world that may no longer be the case.
"If you’re putting it on the internet at all expect that the world will be able to see it," Wilson said.
Faculty warns that making your profile private isn`t fool proof protection. They said there are many ways to get around the privacy setting. However, they said it is still a good idea.
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