8
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY JUNE 10,2009
INTERNET
Facebook helps, hurts young professionals
BY DAVID UGARTE
dugarte@kansan.com
About an hour or two each day, Rachel Kormanik, Overland Park senior, is on Facebook — checking friends' statuses, writing on their walls, making and looking at photo albums. But staying in touch with friends isn't the site's only use.
What some Facebook users may not realize is that employers use the site when considering applicants, for better or worse. Journalism professor David Perlmutter, author of "Blog Wars," said it was becoming increasingly well-known that employers looked at job applicants' Facebook profiles. He said employers might look at an applicant's Facebook to see if there were any issues with integrity or radical feelings or opinions, as well as any evidence of drug abuse. Employers may also look for opinions or interests that conflict with the interests of the hiring company. Perlmutter said Facebook photos could be an important factor in an employer's decision.
"Toasting with a beer, they might not care about, but if police would take an interest, then it's an issue," Perlmutter said.
According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 22 percent of employers said they were already checking social networks such as Facebook to screen candidates, while an additional 9 percent said they were planning to do so. The survey showed that the main concerns for employers included information about alcohol or drug use, inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate's page, poor communication skills, notes showing links to criminal behavior and confidential information about past employers.
Kormanik's favorite feature is Facebook photos; she said she had made 52 albums on her profile. She
said she did not care whether friends tagged her in pictures on Facebook, as long as the pictures were really of her. She said she never did anything she was worried about others seeing.
"You can tell a lot about a person by looking at what kinds of pictures they post on Facebook," Kormanik said.
She said she had heard of younger kids being grounded and others losing jobs they were interviewing for because of pictures they posted on Facebook.
Michael Williams, associate professor of journalism, said he had known students who were dismased to learn that employers looked for anything about them online. Perlmutter said students could change their privacy settings on Facebook or create a separate identity with a false name for friends only. Otherwise, students concerned about their profiles would have to censor
themselves or get off Facebook entirely, Perlmutter said.
Although many students have caught on to the fact that they need to censor what the general public can see on their Facebook profiles to protect themselves, the latest way some students have been able to utilize Facebook is by creating a professional looking profile that lets employers see more about them.
"Facebook is being used by a lot of users to build contact networks, but it is being used increasingly by students to let employers know more about them," Williams said.
Williams said employers could be impressed by an applicant's circle of contacts and networks.
"Having a lot of contacts says something about you," Williams said. "It has some positive possibilities."
Edited by Zach White
Tips to make your Facebook profile enhance your resume from Professor Michael Williams:
Keep your profile clean of profanity, radical rhetoric, or embarrassing pictures
Make your profile look professional by using Facebook applications that demonstrate your special talents or interests
Feature a wide range of friends on Facebook to demonstrate you have a large circle of contacts
Use your Personal Information, Contact Information, Education Work Information and Groups to tell employers about yourself in a positive, impressive way.
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