I have to put this out there, because the people need to know. Yes, the rumors are true.
All of them.
You've heard them time and time again, and it really does go on. I was personally skeptical, but I've experienced the phenomenon myself, first hand, and I've discovered that they are, in fact, true.
Potential employers really do check your Facebook.com (or MySpace.com) profile before hiring you.
Pause there for a second, inhale, and run to your computer. Delete everything (remember, less is the new more). Okay, I confess - it isn't that shocking, people have been talking about this for a while now, and we've been warned.
Just the other day I read in the Chronicle of Higher Education about a University of Dayton study that found that at least 40 percent of potential employers might use Facebook before hiring.
Forty percent. That's almost half, in case you were wondering.
"Set your online privacy, blah blah, grumble grumble," we've heard. "How you present yourself online has an influence on your employment, blah blah, grumble grumble," they've said over and over. Anyone remember the gubernatorial (I love that word) election just a few months ago? Photos posted on Facebook actually crushed the Mihos campaign dead in its tracks.
But I'm not a third party candidate running for a long shot, low pay, high power office, so it couldn't happen to me, right? I set up my privacy wall pretty well. So coming to Washington and starting a search for internships, I wasn't worried in the least about my online privacy.
As part of the Tufts-in-Washington program, there's a little agreement with American University here in the district; participating Tufts students have to take classes, write a gargantuan research paper and land an internship here in the capitol.
So when I was interviewing in the first week for an internship at a prestigious think tank whose initials are similar to AE Pi's, I thought I had nothing to worry about. Turns out my privacy wall wasn't that foolproof, though; in fact, it was almost as useless as Canadian/American border protection. Bears.
Going into the interview I was very excited. I mean, who wouldn't be? First couple of days here, and I already had my third interview. It was starting to seem like I had options; I wouldn't just have to settle on a dog-walking position for the Congressman from Iowa's fifth district (sorry, Tom). When I set up the phone interview, the interviewer gleefully noted that she too was a "fellow Jumbo," and that she looked forward to my interview.
Like an elephant in a peanut store, I went bananas (I don't know what this means either). My super high tuition was finally paying off, my decision to transfer to Tufts in the first place was warranted, and the world was in harmony.
Connections! Networking! I had an edge!
What I failed to understand was that (since she graduated in 2005) my interviewer still has her F-Book account and she shares my network. Ah ah ah, that alone wouldn't have been enough for her to see my profile, so cool it, McGruff. I have my profile visible to only my friends and friends of my friends. That's it. Should be pretty safe, right? No no, my interviewer just had to be a friend of ONE (count it, ONE) of my friends, and my privacy settings went poof faster than Hanson after "MMMBop."
Of course I didn't learn of the stalking until I had spent a good 30 minutes on the interview. During what seemed like a very positive and promising phone conversation, the truth came out. She had read my profile.
How on earth was I supposed to respond to this revelation?
That's right, I did exactly what anyone would do. I laughed awkwardly and tried to make small talk about how my chances for landing this particular internship had suddenly left the building.
Surprisingly, my interviewer wasn't too concerned with what she found on my profile. All the rumors and articles and death threats have desensitized me to the point where there really isn't anything of genuine shame or even genuine worth on my profile anyway.
A few of my favorite movies are listed, some ridiculous posed pictures (no alcohol though) are posted. There are some slightly offensive wall posts from friends, and a list of my general interests. One of those interests caught the eye of my interviewer: Nutella. Ha Ha Ha ... errr.
"Oh yes, Nutella [awkward laugh]. I just can't resist that chocolaty goodness," I said to my interviewer with an awkward laugh. I was this close to just hanging up the phone and hiding in a corner for the rest of my life. With kettle corn. And a hot dog. Mmmm.
"Great, well thanks, we'll get back to you," she said. Super, just what I wanted to hear. I couldn't have given enough to just pretend the whole interview hadn't happened.
At 12:30 p.m. the next day, my phone rang.
I started interning at this particular Washington think tank last week. Potential horror story avoided, for now. I'm just glad I included the nutty hazelnut spread in my F-Book profile; who knows where I would be interning if I hadn't. Does Mark Foley still need interns?
-Jamie Bologna is a junior majoring in political science. You can e-mail him at James.Bologna@tufts.edu
