It may sound like an urban legend, but your boss will in fact google you. They do this to make sure you are not some weirdo who walked in off the street looking for a job. They also want to make sure that you are a real person and have some friends out there. Your social media pages are a really good way to get to know someone. You can see how people interact with each other and how they interact with society. If you’re up all night posting obscene political posts on Facebook, you may want to rethink your job application strategy.

Posting anything that may deter a future employer should be avoided. Obviously, the occasional lighthearted joke is okay, but don’t be gross or inappropriate. You want to keep your pages professional if possible. This will allow the employer to see that you can be a productive member of society while still minting social relationships. Something you can do to help prevent the discovery of any obscene material is to just not post it in the first place.

If we are already past that point then maybe think about making your accounts private. This will prevent anyone who isn’t your friend or follower from seeing the things you post on the internet. It does however pose a problem with the employer because they want to know who you are, and a private account looks like you’re hiding something. Usually people will keep their social media accounts pretty clean. This is the era of modern technology and anything you say online will come up later in life. It is always good practice to keep it PG on your Facebook to ensure a job in the future.