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More Warnings Against Oversharing on MySpace

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the internet-never-forgets dept.

Skapare writes "Your next prospective employer might be watching your MySpace page, according to a story at the New York Times. And if you think Facebook is more private, maybe not if that prospective employer has an intern from the same school checking up on you." From the article: "Students may not know when they have been passed up for an interview or a job offer because of something a recruiter saw on the Internet. But more than a dozen college career counselors said recruiters had been telling them since last fall about incidents in which students' online writing or photographs had raised serious questions about their judgment, eliminating them as job candidates."

4 of 383 comments (clear)

  1. More news from the obvious forefront by obscurelyfamous · · Score: 5, Informative

    While it's not much a surprise that employers would do some unconventional background checking, the article seems to make it seem increasingly prevalent. Unless you are completely in an online pseudonym, don't portray yourself in a manner online that you wouldn't want seen in real life. As far as a Google search is concerned, I can't find much with just a straight name search. My only online profile would be a Facebook listing where nothing is risque.

  2. My employer by ValiantSoul · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm an intern at a software development firm and when looking for another intern, my employer asked me to look the person up on Facebook - so this is a very real issue.

    But I did not know the person, nor did anyone I knew, so it had no effect on the hiring of them.

  3. There's something to this, in fairness. by Ivan+Matveitch · · Score: 3, Informative

    A blog full of half-literate paeans to partying does suggest that you are overeducated and perhaps incompetent.

    Smart people often break taboos: Richard Feynman loved strip clubs and Paul Erdös took amphetamines, to name but a couple.

  4. Public Data by nurb432 · · Score: 3, Informative

    No one should be suprised this is happening. The job market is tough and HR will use anything they can to weed out the freaks. The hiring process isnt free, and every loser they deal with costs the company money.

    Not saying you are a loser beacuse you have a stupid webpage, but its not worth the risk if you have stupid stuff posted up there.

    And if you think that is invasive, wait until you get a 'security clearance audit'.. Then they come to your house personally..

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----