By Matt Pini
Every spring college seniors
polish their resumes and break out their best outfits in an effort to impress
potential employers. But today, it is often their online personas they need to
pay the most attention to.
Social media has become an integral part of the college
experience. But for all the benefits it provides in terms of staying connected
with friends, there is the risk of hurting one's chance in the job market.
According to Bridgewater State University Director of
Career Services John Paganelli, hiring managers nowadays check candidates' social
media profiles like they would with job references.
"Some organizations still
do not use social media to the fullest potential while others use it as their
main source of finding qualified candidates," Paganelli said. "Once
you send any employer your resume, someone within that organization will search
you through both Linked In and Facebook."
Some college students are becoming increasingly concerned
with the content they post online.
"I'm worried about what I posted when I first got
social media," Stonehill College senior Gordon McLeod said.
As a result, McLeod is more cautious about what he puts
online, especially as he approaches the end of his senior year.
"I don't tweet as much as I did before," McLeod
said. "I more just keep to myself and try to keep most things off the
internet."
Other students, like Stonehill senior Kristin Sanborn,
aren't nearly as worried, but admit they might just be blissfully ignorant.
"I'm not worried about it at all, but I kind of feel
like I should be," Sanborn said. "I always felt like it was a scare
tactic."
For some students, such as Bridgewater State University
senior Jamaal Bonnette, being proactive about monitoring social media accounts
helped them avoid any concerns.
"I've kept it rather clean, so I have nothing to
worry about," Bonnette said.
Paganelli offers advice to students on how to manage
social media lives to prepare for applying to fulltime job applications.
"Keep it professional, keep
it current, and keep it extremely clean," Paganelli said. "Create a
free Linked In account and keep tweaking and updating it, make it unique and
make sure you include some data and stats."
Some might question whether social media should be
considered when evaluating job candidates. Andrew Leahy, Stonehill's Associate
Director of Career Services, believes that employer's checking social media is
not only fair, but also a necessary step in the hiring process.
"They have a right and obligation to do their due
diligence in researching their candidates in whatever means necessary,"
Leahy said.
Stonehill
senior Melanie Gordon argues that whether or not social media is relevant to
the job requirements, all candidates should be held accountable for what they
post online.
"I feel like you shouldn't post anything you don't
want people to see," Gordon said. "You're still representing [the
company] when outside the work place."
Gordon learned social media responsibility early on, and
she feels like this has helped her avoid having to clean up her profiles as she
prepares for the job market.
"My family taught me to never post anything, even
texts, I wouldn't want people to see," Gordon said. "Once it's out
there, it's not private."
Social media responsibility doesn't stop once a candidate
secures a job. Employers often continue to monitor employees’ online activity
even after they have been hired.
"I definitely post on it less," said Flip
Ulmer, a 2015 graduate of Stonehill College. "And everything is definitely
on private now so my boss doesn't see anything."
It may be naïve to think that college students will stop
using social media. Instead, some students will choose manage their accounts
and leverage them to work in their best interests when it comes to job
hunting.
"I'll probably make my accounts private, but I
probably won't stop posting," Sanborn said. "I just can't help from
posting on Instagram or tweeting."
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