No Likes? Check You Out on Facebook

My husband and I recently had dinner out with friends. One man, who had been interviewing potential employees all week, had something on his mind.

His company had openings for salesmen and a Marketing Manager--hot jobs that start at 60k--and he was finding slim pickings, despite the fact that the community hosts two large universities.

There were dozens of applicants, all right: the man was wading through literally scores of resumes. Before contacting anyone, however, he checked them out on Facebook. And clicked away.

One fellow looked very promising--until the man found a picture of him taking a Selfie during his own valedictory speech. Click.

Another guy had great photos of his mission--and a skiing photo of himself that looked like a beer commercial. Click.

Blue hair might win big bucks in a My Little Pony Lookalikes Giveaway; the man was looking for someone respectable to represent his company to clients. Click.

To what kind of married man her dad's age would these Kissy-face Selfies appeal--and would she really want him to hire her? Click.

I listened as the man gave example after example of things people had posted online, all of which marketed them as narcissistic--or just plain lacking in judgment. "No thank you!" he said with a Click--and they may never know why. Fewer than a handful even got called in to interview.

Talk about it. You had better believe that we discussed this with our children! They said school teachers had warned students, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand unsuitable words; there are even legal cases where people have lost over less. A random perusal of just about anyone's Wall will provide great examples for discussion--for good or bad.

What's wrong with this picture? Take personal responsibility to look and act. What is on your Facebook page? Who are your "Friends?" My youngest son and I, recently going through a Cub Scout Cyber Safety exercise, went through my photo list of Facebook Friends and considered how I was keeping our family's rules. It was good to learn about internet safety and then evaluate my own actions with the help of another person, one with a different perspective. While nothing online ever goes away, we do have some power to block unwanted photos. We can also avoid situations where something ridiculous or inappropriate-looking could even happen, let alone be photographed.

Follow up. A person's online presence must be managed. Periodic, objective evaluations of what is shown and said about us online is important, especially when we are seeking work.

You have already heard this? Believe it.