So you won the Party Animal superlative two years in a row at formal (it might even be in your bio), but now college is over and it’s time to job search and trade in your shot necklace for a badge and time card. Or maybe you’re still in college but searching for a big girl internship. Just because your partying days aren’t actually over, you at least have to pretend like you have your sh*t together when you go out into the world with your degree and all those skills you learned in college. And no, unfortunately your 100% accuracy streak making island in beer pong doesn’t count as a skill and I would also refrain from putting that on your resume.
Now I can’t tell you what to change in real life (yes, take the ZTA decal off your car) but I can assist when it comes to cleaning up your online track record. It’s easier than ever for potential employers to do a little stalking and dig up your entire past with a few mouse clicks. While baby pics your mom tagged you in on Facebook may be cute, I doubt your future boss will be too impressed with your white-girl-wasted photos on Insta. Let’s be real: we’ve all used the “this pic is as blurry as our night” caption, but that doesn’t mean your coworkers need to dub you as “that girl” before you ever walk through the door. The task of faking like you were anything but a srat star in college may seem tedious, but it’s actually super easy!
First and simplest, use a free website like Social Sweeper to scan over your accounts and tell you just how much work you have to do. It will count profane language and tell you how many times you referenced alcohol or other toxic God-knows-what. From here you can decide if it’s just easier to delete an account and make a new one or if damage control is doable. Your Facebook might be squeaky-clean for mom and dad, but if the dollar-jar words run rampant on your Twitter it may be time for a fresh start.
Now let’s discuss ambiguous captions. With Insta’s new features, you can go back and edit captions. I suggest you straight-up delete anything that shows you were drinking underage and anything especially tacky or risqué. Your boobs may have helped you break 200 likes, but just like you’ll put the girls away while on the job, they don’t need to be all over your Instagram off duty either. This goes for all pics on all social media sites, not just Instagram. However, if the picture is staying but the caption was incriminating, just opt for a new one. This includes hashtags. It may benefit you to delete crude comments as well and make sure you’re not tagged in anything naughty either. Make sure to set your profiles so you can confirm what you’re tagged in.
Next, you may want to up your professional virtual side for an edge on the competition as well. Look into making a LinkedIn profile to list all your skills. It’s like a continuous, buildable online resume that employers can view and the people you’re linked to can endorse any skills you post. For example, your classmate can endorse your skill “Public Speaking” because they have seen you speak in front of the class before and know you are capable of being a good public speaker. You can even receive job offers through it! Just don’t list keg stands or cooler painting under accomplishments.
Ok, time to clean up your statuses. I bet you’re really regretting those 2011 Facebook “tbh” trends right about now. Although I’m sure any stalking employer will forgive anything silly prior to 2012/college, it’s still very important to scan over your old statuses to delete rants or overly biased comments that could depict you in a negative light. While it’s okay to openly support your view on a political standpoint, just understand that certain topics are sensitive to some people and may not play in your favor. Stand by your beliefs, but don’t seem ignorant or overly emotional. Also, airing your dirty laundry on Facebook like calling out your cheating ex is definitely something you’ll want to delete. Not professional or mature!
Finally, it’s time to make a good name for yourself. PhiMu92@aol.com is not the first impression you should make on an application. Make sure to go back and create professional accounts with proper usernames or change all your usernames so they’re not so fifth grade….or junior year. Same with profile pictures! Keep them updated (no one likes a catfish) and simple. Peace signs and bikini bods are a no-no.
Now walk into your interview feeling confident that nothing will keep you from landing your dream job or internship, to include that not-so-classy morning-after pic of you on your 21st.