Take Control of Your Digital Footprint: Advice for Teens

Social Media

College applicants need to be more careful about posting online because it can and increasingly will be viewed by the interviewer. Your digital footprint is becoming more and more important in a world where almost everyone uses social networking. Your online presence gives important information about your life to the interviewer that cannot be obtained anywhere else. Make sure you put your best self on social networking sites and never expect anything to be private.

Over 73% of the population uses social networking sites and the number is growing. Having a clean and professional online presence becomes more important as the number of social media users increase. The number of college interviewers and employers who are checking their applicant's social media is also increasing. Over 25% of interviewers say they have Googled or checked the applicant�s Facebook profile. This number is up 5% from last year. Of those who check, 35% say they have seen something that negatively impacted their applicant�s chances at being accepted. This number is nearly triple from the 12% of last year. Once something is posted, it remains on the web even after you have deleted it. Through sharing, a private post or photo can spread to all sorts of people with embarrassing results. A casual post or comment made long ago can haunt you because once it is out in the web, as it is almost impossible to remove completely.

Facebook

There have been many cases where an acceptance to a college is revoked because of something that comes up online. When colleges check social networking, they are mostly looking for hate speech and unthoughtful comments or pictures. Interviewers say they scrutinize social media only when they see these types of comments. At Bowdoin College, a high school senior posted hateful speech on Twitter. Although she was denied by the college because �her academic record was not competitive enough,� the absence of those posts would definitely have increased her chances at being accepted. Make sure you think before you post and be aware that colleges are checking. Colleges look at your friends and what they post as well. Make sure your friends are not posting unthoughtful comments as this can negatively impact your chances just as much as your own posts.

Posting online is not all bad, however. Social media is a great way to stay connected. Having a clean and professional online presence will help you greatly. Colleges interviewers notice when you have a good digital footprint with intelligent posts and comments. Maribeth Kuzmeski, a social media expert, says, �In a tough employment market, a social media presence can make or break job candidates.� A professional digital footprint can give you an important edge when applying to colleges or jobs.

There are several ways to improve your digital footprint. Do not post anything that would be uncomfortable to share with your parents or grandparents. Always be respectful and thoughtful to the people you are talking to. Social media is another place besides your resume where you can show off your knowledge and share your interests. Post your achievements and activities that you are most proud of. Hopefully, if you are smart about your posts and comments, social networking will help you get into your dream college.

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Conclusion: Updated 29 May 2014

Having a good digital footprint is important when you are applying for college or a job. This is the first time I have done a blog but I had a very good experience. I was nervous at first about publishing, but afterwards, I was glad to have done this project. I learned a lot about my topic (and blogging) during my research and from the comments. Thank you all for reading and commenting on my blog. After doing this project, I am working on improving my digital footprint and having more presence online. The comments were very thought provoking. Some comments pointed out whether colleges should have the right to look at the applicant's posts and comments in the first place. After doing some additional research, I found that there are some legal constraints on interviewers. For example, the employer or interviewer cannot discriminate against someone from information gained from posts. This can lead to discrimination claims. Also, some states are passing legislation to ban interviewers from asking for the applicant's passwords to social media sites. As long as the interviewer is not violating these laws, I believe they have the right and should check the applicant's social media. This is because the applicant is responsible for what he or she has posted. As a student or employee, the applicant will be representing not only himself but the whole institution. However, I would want to do more research on the topic to see if an applicant has ever fought back successfully against a rejection from a college or job. 

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