Lessons From a Lost Love

On a normal workday in 2001, I opened my e-mail to find a note from my high school sweetheart. Trust me; I’ve been out of high school a looooonnnngg time. After retrieving my heart from my throat, I wrote back one question: how did you find me?

His response was quite simple, “I Googled your name.”

“Google, what’s that?” I asked myself. Strange to hear now but at that time, other search engines were more popular and far less efficient. Plus, the internet wasn’t our number one source for information. Fifteen years later, I Google everything! And so do potential employers. Not only do they use Google, but they use all forms of social media to vet candidates. Yes, they check Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and every source available right at their fingertips. They make decisions about future employees based on not just what you tell them but what you don’t tell them.

Penn State assistant football coach Herb Hand summed it up this way in a recent tweet, “Dropped another prospect this AM due to his social media presence … Actually glad I got to see the ‘real’ person before we offered him.”

So, before you post a profanity-laced rant about being treated unfairly by a coworker or boss, before you post a YouTube video of your friend’s epic loss at beer pong – and then tag him – before you post a picture of yourself in a skimpy swimsuit with a provocative pose, ask yourself “Would I put this on my resume?” If not, then don’t do it. Once on the internet, the image lasts forever and you have no control over who sees it!