Psst, Your Boss Checks Your Facebook And MySpace Page

Do you have a Facebook or MySpace page? If you are a 20something, chances are you do. And on that social networking site, do you have countless photos of yourself falling down in a drunken stupor with an empty bottle of JD in your hand? What about photos of you deep throating a blowjob shot at a bar with horny boys looking on as you lick every last drop of the whip cream from your lips? Are there any photos of you peeing in public or with your head stuffed down a dirty, urine-laced toilet while you’re kneeling in a pool of your own vomit? Are there photos of you giving the middle finger, the shocker sign or mooning the world? Are you smashing your titties together while you’re making your sexiest "Come F Me" squinty-eyed kissy-face for the camera? Or are you the guy who is grabbing his crotch while sticking out your tongue with the caption "Suck It Bitch" under the image? Are you photographed dry humping a stuffed elephant...or even worse, actually fucking an elephant? Maybe you are the girl that enjoys showing off her new thong and belly button piercing. Or perhaps you’re the dude who enjoys flashing your 6 pack abs, tatted chest and rockin’ with your c*ck out. Whatever the case may be, moments of debauchery happen. You’re young and you’re entitled to have fun. There’s only one problem, your boss more than likely has seen each and every naughty thing you’ve ever said or done!

(Hey, that rhymed! And I didn’t even intend it to.)

Some will argue this, but personally, I see nothing wrong with a couple wannabe show lesbians making out with one another, especially if they are hot girls! In fact, I encourage hot girl makeout sessions. They help make the world go round. And I see nothing wrong with a couple guys getting into an occasional fist fight. But comeon now, think before you upload your girl-on-girl action shots or your videotaped beatdowns. Capturing less than glamorous moments like these may seem harmless at first, but they may come back to haunt you in the long run. I mean sure, your friends probably enjoy reliving the debauchery with you. But your boss, not so much. So next time, before you hit the publish button, you may want to take into consideration a recent study conducted by CareerBuilder.com As an employer, their findings did not shock me in the least, but they may shock you if you’ve been living in La-La Land without a care in the world.

One out of five employers admits to checking social networking sites to help screen job applicants. And those that don’t currently do so, said they plan on utilizing that method in the near future. According to the survey, nearly 35% of those who regularly screen said that content uncovered through their research has led to the applicant being struck from the job’s shortlist. Scared yet? Now ask yourself this, would you be ok with your Facebook or MySpace page being attached to your resume? If the answer is no, then perhaps you should do a little digital cleanup. Hiring managers use the Internet to "get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company." And if you think you’re safe because you aren’t applying for a new job, think again. Bosses of those currently employed have been known to check out their employee’s social networking sites too! Of course nobody will admit to it, but it’s pretty safe to say that some promotions and raises have been affected by the content found on an employee’s social networking profile.

So what should social network users looking to get on and climb up the career ladder avoid posting to their profiles? Hiring managers suggest a profile history recounting a life of drinking and drugs was a major concern in terms of evaluation. Also frowned upon is the posting of inappropriate imagery and/or personal information. Areas of concern include derogatory remarks of race, gender and religion. As well as lying about professional achievements, qualifications and the use of poor communication skills. In short, content on your social networking profile can have disastrous results in terms of your career. I’m not even going to mention how disastrous it can be to your social life in terms of potential date screening. Call me crazy, but seeing a girl hanging all over her ex-boyfriend leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Remember, the Internet is really really good at one thing – keeping information and making it accessible to the world. It’s more than happy to store whatever your little heart desires, as long as it’s uploaded at least once. That’s all it takes. One click, one time publishing. And from there it can multiple and spread like an infectious disease! You can try to cure it, eliminate it by deleting it. However, that doesn’t always work. The only true sure fire way to prevent it is to vaccinate yourself from it – never start posting naughty material of yourself to begin with. I know, I know. It’s hard not to show the world the photo gallery from last weekend’s gangbang party, but try not to. Try really, really hard not to because your career (AKA, your livelihood) most likely depends on it.

Before you are tempted to show off your ass, here are 3 tips to help you cleanup and protect your ass...

1. Be careful!
Nothing is private. Don't post anything on your site or your "friends" sites you wouldn't want a prospective employer to see. Derogatory comments, revealing or risqué photos, foul language and lewd jokes all will be viewed as a reflection of your character.

2. Be discreet!
If your network offers the option, consider setting your profile to "private," so that it is viewable only by friends of your choosing. And since you can't control what other people say on your site, you may want to use the "block comments" or "approve all comments first" feature. Remember, everything on the Internet is archived, and there is no eraser!

3. Be prepared!
Check your profile regularly to see what comments have been posted. Use a search engine to look for online records of yourself to see what is out there about you. If you find information you feel could be detrimental to your candidacy or career, see about getting it removed. And last, but not least, make sure you have an answer ready to counter or explain "digital dirt." (gulp)