Clean Out Your Closets

I recently read an article that cautioned those that are seeking employment about their online habits. The article cautioned that more and more employers are doing online “background checks” of potential employees. They are checking their blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, etc. The caution was that you want to be careful about the kind of content you have online. Beware of compromising photos, inappropriate comments and other types of content that may not be appropriate.

My question is, should you really worry about it only for that reason? Is it okay just to sanitize it for job search purposes? Shouldn’t you try and BE that person instead?

There are so many people that are concerned in this day and age about their online “privacy”. They get upset when Facebook allows their data to be collected by other sources. They put blocks on their accounts trying to keep unauthorized viewers from accessing their content.

I have a different approach. I try and live my life so that I’m not afraid for anyone to see it. You’re probably not going to find any inappropriate pictures of me at some party, or some off color joke that I sent someone in a personal email. That’s not because I sanitize it. It’s because that’s who I am. What you see is what you get. I’m not trying to be conceited and say I’m better than anyone else. I’m not proud of all the moments in my life. I’m also not afraid to face up to them though.

My suggestion is that instead of trying to live a dual life, you pick one and go with it. I hope you choose wisely.