Mendota Heights Schools Caution Students to Inspect Digital Profiles

How much does a Facebook status say about a person?

“Malcolm Lightheart—Taco bell = :D NOM NOM NOM!!!”

“Sadie McKay—Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.”

“Tommy McQuillan—scoring for St. Thomas Academy #12 John Deuce Gerhan”

These days, it’s a big question. Which one of those statuses would yield the best banker? Teacher? Ivy League student?

From college admissions to job placement, it’s no longer enough to dress properly and provide a polished resume. In the age of the internet, an applicant’s online image—through a Facebook account, a blog, Twitter, etc.— has an equal chance to make or break a candidate’s image. For teenagers just starting out toward their career goals, right now is an especially important time to consider what they post, caution educators and business professionals.

From the time that, mid-interview, a woman was asked by her potential employers to open up her Facebook page, to stories of a high school student getting kicked off the football team after photos were posted showing him drinking alcohol, anecdotal stories of internet-sleuthing of personal profiles run rampant.

More than anecdotes, there’s a growing number of studies showing that employers are investigating digital personas too. Estimates vary from 20 to 79 on the percentage of employers that currently screen the online image of applicants. For those without the time, there are a variety of companies that have cropped up offering to do the digging for them. Any way you look at it, given the tight job market, the status of one’s online image could have a big impact.

According to MaryAnn Thomas, director of human resources for School District 197, even employers who aren’t yet in the habit of screening all of their potential new hires likely will in the future.

“Obviously, we want to make sure that we’re using every avenue we can to be sure that we’re finding qualified applicants, and if that involves looking online someday, we will,” said Thomas.

While many colleges aren’t likely to screen applicants as closely as employers, due to the sheer volume of applicants, students should still show caution in what they display on profiles and even Twitter feeds.

“At a selective institution, students shouldn’t give a committee any reason to deny them,” said Milyon Trulove, director of admissions at Hamline University.

Mendota Heights-area high schools have taken note of the risk. At, college advisors meet annually with students to discuss appropriate online behavior. The rule of thumb, according to Steve Bjork, director of college counseling, is to consider, “Is what I am posting something my grandmother would be proud to share about me?”

Anne Pabst, co-director of college counseling at , offers a similar sentiment, “Basically, what we tell the girls is just be careful, be careful, be careful. The colleges may get you on Facebook. They may react negatively to the name you choose on email. That’s pretty much all we can tell them.”

It can be a challenging argument to make. Students’ online accounts aren’t there for college admission staff. Most often, they don’t use them as a career tool.

Malcolm (Lightheart) Phillips, a junior at , said he posts “Whatever comes to mind, I don't really care about how others view me.”

The internet is the place students say they vent. The place they swear. The place they manage and display their on-again-off-again-on-again relationships. The place they don’t have to answer to teachers or parents.

But, often due to coaching from school officials or their parents, teenagers know that their “private” information posted online isn’t necessarily going to remain private. Opinions differ, though, on how they feel about companies looking into their information.

“I do think it is fair because most people lie on applications, and Facebook is a better way to see what people are really like outside of a controlled environment,” said Sadie McKay, a senior at Henry Sibley High School.

While Tommy McQuillan, a senior at St. Thomas Academy, puts forth an effort to maintain a sharp online image, he doesn’t love the idea of employers looking into it, “It’s just kind of edgy and doesn’t seem fair.”

Teenagers today aren’t necessarily doing anything better or worse than the teenagers of yesterday. The difference is that, while people may forget their past discretions, the Web isn’t likely to let the memories fade.

Perhaps the best advice for internet users both young and old is as simple as Visitation graduate and tech entrepreneur Meg Campbell put it, “Face it, for the rest of your lives, you’re going to be Googled.”