First Impressions in Jobs

The power of altering first impressions has a uniquely critical role in the job sphere. While many use Facebook to give themselves first impressions that improve their image, the Facebook profile is capable of negatively affecting a user as well.

Let’s take the example of an anonymous girl (we’ll call her Molly) who was mentioned in an NBC article because of how Facebook has impacted her career (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20202935/ns/business-personal_finance). Van Allen, a job recruiter for hospitals, deemed her as a well-qualified young female psychiatrist and looked her up on Facebook, only to find pictures of her taking her shirt off at parties. While this may have nothing to do with her ability in the hospital, Molly ended up not getting the job.

There are many different perspectives circulating the issue. Some believe that a Facebook user has complete control over what he reveals to the public, and thus it is valid for companies to use this material to determine whether the candidate is a good fit with the company’s culture. On the other hand, many others believe that using the Facebook profile is a violation of a meritocracy, because one’s profile picture and interests should not play any role in terms of how good someone is at his job. Additionally, when most users are told that their information is public, it usually does not click with them that the term “public” means…well, public—for anyone in the world to see. Whether Facebook is a valid form of background checks is a hot topic for debate.

To be safe, a good tip before applying for a job is to treat your Facebook profile like a resume and assume that your future boss will be looking at it. People aren’t immune from this panoptical effect once they get the job either. Many can be fired even after they have secured their job. Would your boss be comfortable with that picture tagged of you at a party throwing up over a trash can? What about the fact that you included “procrastination” in your activities list, even as a joke? Doing some cleanup from this perspective can ensure your safety in your career.