2008 Woodie Awards
Untag Yourself from Your Beer Chugging Pictures!
Kelsey Field
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: Life & Times
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"Everything that I was told, I learned when I was 6 years old…" In today's world of technology, employment and higher education, life's lessons when you were young do not seem to be too applicable to life in the now. Do not be disillusioned though, because today's lesson is the same message, just a different context.
For those of you with online profiles such as Myspace or Facebook, beware of what you are letting strangers see about yourself. Although it may be your next best friend, according to Rolling Stone it could also be your future employer scouting out what you are really like, and chances are they are not going to like pictures of you on spring break in the Bahamas with your tour guide Juan.
Although it seems like your Facebook profile will be viewed by other peers, think again. All those companies that sponsor the site, such as AT&T, Dell and Aflac all have access to the profiles.
Obviously the best way to protect yourself is by turning on the privacy features of the account, which restrict who can see your profile, but more importantly think about what you are putting up for the whole world to see.
Although it may seem harmless now, 5 years from now when you are up for your first promotion, those pictures of you chugging beer or bragging about your habitual drug use could very well be the factor between moving up or staying in place.
But perhaps you do not have an account, and you think you are quite safe from this internet investigation. Think again. Employers also look at histories of what you are downloading, whether it is an I-tunes song that cost you $0.99 or that new hit single that you downloaded for free. In fact, 86-percent of employers surveyed by Business Software Alliance consider illegal downloading unethical and reflective of persona, and 34-percent said they would probably reject a candidate if they knew of illegal downloading.
This information is easy enough to find if you are registering in your name for the downloading software, or giving out your screen information to potential employers. Most importantly, if you do get hired, do not download illegally onto your work computer. Not only will you endanger the company you work for, but the likelihood of your termination or reprimand for illegal downloading are almost certain.
For those of you with online profiles such as Myspace or Facebook, beware of what you are letting strangers see about yourself. Although it may be your next best friend, according to Rolling Stone it could also be your future employer scouting out what you are really like, and chances are they are not going to like pictures of you on spring break in the Bahamas with your tour guide Juan.
Although it seems like your Facebook profile will be viewed by other peers, think again. All those companies that sponsor the site, such as AT&T, Dell and Aflac all have access to the profiles.
Obviously the best way to protect yourself is by turning on the privacy features of the account, which restrict who can see your profile, but more importantly think about what you are putting up for the whole world to see.
Although it may seem harmless now, 5 years from now when you are up for your first promotion, those pictures of you chugging beer or bragging about your habitual drug use could very well be the factor between moving up or staying in place.
But perhaps you do not have an account, and you think you are quite safe from this internet investigation. Think again. Employers also look at histories of what you are downloading, whether it is an I-tunes song that cost you $0.99 or that new hit single that you downloaded for free. In fact, 86-percent of employers surveyed by Business Software Alliance consider illegal downloading unethical and reflective of persona, and 34-percent said they would probably reject a candidate if they knew of illegal downloading.
This information is easy enough to find if you are registering in your name for the downloading software, or giving out your screen information to potential employers. Most importantly, if you do get hired, do not download illegally onto your work computer. Not only will you endanger the company you work for, but the likelihood of your termination or reprimand for illegal downloading are almost certain.
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