Privacy, Jobs, & the Internet

Last week in my Social Media & PR class, a classmate raised an interesting question: how much personal information online should organization's be able to access? Where does looking for info on a potential candidate cross the line into invading their privacy?
Ever since class, I have been re-visiting the question. Like many others, I too have Facebook, Twitter, this blog, and some other internet apps. While I do not share personal information on Facebook or fill out the summary about myself, I do like to post pictures and share them with friends and family who do not live close by. Now, I do not have any explicit pictures or pictures that show me doing anything inappropriate or illegal, but there is the occasional album that captures the previous night out on town. However, I learned that even the presence of beer in any of your pictures can deter a potential employer from considering you for a position.
At first, I did not think this was fair. If I wanted to take a picture of me and my good friend, I should not have to tell them to put the beer down. Furthermore, if I am holding a beer, that could be the only beer I had for the night. I am of age, so it should be ok ...right? Wrong. After giving more thought to the situation, I realized that I do not have to post these pictures on Facebook for the world and potential employers to see. Anything on the internet cannot be considered private and once you post it, it is fair game. The privacy settings are there to make you feel comfortable against unwanted attention from strangers, not potential employers. The privacy settings are really only for your safety. It's not like I can't enjoy the pictures if they are not on Facebook. Therefore, I do understand that an employer is not crossing the line when looking for all and any personal information about a potential candidate.
Furthermore, wherever we are, it is important to present yourself in a way you would want others to see you. If I believe that the presence of beer bottles in my picture is deceiving about who I am, then I should not post them on the internet. How I present myself in an interview is how I should present myself online as well. So, next time you want to tweet something or post something questionable on an internet app., think twice. You probably do not want a potential employer seeing it and you probably do not want to create that kind of personal brand for yourself anyway. Yes, it might be annoying to have to watch what you say and post, but it is the internet. What goes on the internet, never stays private and never ever leaves the internet.