All Eyes on You

By Candy

Super-sleek interview suit? Check. Cute business tote? Check. Party photo album with numerous drunken pictures of you in precarious situations? Um, excuse me?

Well, one University of Georgia student might as well have, because she was presented with party pictures of herself at a job interview!

How did the interviewer gain access to such photos? They were on the Internet, of course. But the pictures weren’t secretly posted by a third party. It was the student who had “tagged” herself in her party pics, and proceeded to post them on Facebook.com, for everyone to see. Like most of us who have our college business hanging out in profiles, she had no inclination that her potential employer could and would dig for the dirt.

Networking sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com are becoming so popular with college and high school students that not having a profile is like not owning a cell phone. Obviously giving that social circle up isn’t an option.

So how can you maintain an on-line social status without sabotaging future opportunities? Adjust your privacy settings so that your page isn’t visible to just anyone’s inquiring eye. Also, edit your personal information so that it reads less like the bio of Lindsey Lohan and more like that of social, responsible, educated and interesting young woman. Most importantly, monitor which pictures are being posted of you and have them deleted if necessary.

If you have an job interview coming up, think twice before screaming “tag-me!” every time you see a flash go off — especially after a round of tequila shots!