Getting a job these days might seem tougher than ever, and having digital ghosts of bad decisions from the past haunting them won’t help job seekers.
“I’ve had people lose jobs from a post they made 10 years ago… a partner at a law firm had a picture on the internet that was 12 years old, they lost their job,” said Jason Wachtel, managing partner at executive search firm JW Michaels & Co., in a recent interview with WBBM Newsradio’s Rob Hart for the Noon Business Hour.
Wachtel said its not just photos from raunchy long-ago parties that could sour a job search. Political rants, use of profanity or insensitive language, videos singing along to songs with risqué lyrics and more can turn off potential employers as they consider candidates.
“My daughter just finished her freshman year of college, and I’ve told her since she was in high school: ‘Don’t put anything out there that puts you in a position where… you might be associated with maybe underage drinking, you’re wearing a racy outfit, you're reciting a lyrics to a song that has controversial lyrics to it or inappropriate language. Stay away from anything that doesn't pass, quote unquote, the sniff test,’” said Wachtel.
While older generations might think that keeping a tidy digital reputation is something for younger generations, Wachtel also reminded listeners that old photos can end up online too. It’s smart for everyone to periodically Google themselves, just in case.
“If there is a picture of you in college 20 years ago that’s inappropriate and it is on the internet today, it can impact the job you have now or the job that you have in the future while you're applying,” Wachtel warned. “So, you have to be careful. It doesn’t matter how old you are or when it was there. If it’s out there, it could come back and bite you in the rear.”
