InternshipRatings.com

By Dan Klamm
Outreach & Marketing Coordinator
Syracuse University Career Services

As a Career Services professional at Syracuse University, I work with lots of intelligent, creative, capable students who would make wonderful interns at a variety of organizations.  They come to me seeking to strengthen their resume, tailor their cover letter, or formulate the perfect response to “What is your biggest weakness?”…yet sometimes they undermine all of this hard work with the content of their online social network profiles.

When I tell students that many employers “Google” them as part of a background check, they are surprised; some students call it “stalking.”  I would disagree - in fact, I think it’s a surprisingly cheap and effective way for employers to get a quick snapshot of a potential intern before investing resources in hiring and developing his/her talents.

Google your name; see what pops up among the top search results.  For many students (and non-students), it is their profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other popular networking sites.  Does your content on these sites reinforce the message that you are a smart, reliable, low-drama potential intern?  Put yourself in an employer’s shoes.  If you’re faced with hiring Internship Candidate A (who has a clean online image, and maybe even some positives like a well-written LinkedIn profile or a newspaper article about one of his accomplishments), or Internship Candidate B (who has a public Twitter profile which talks about smoking pot and regularly blacking out from alcohol consumption) - who would you hire, all other qualifications being equal?  Most would go with Candidate A, who appears to be less of a liability and more likely to perform reliably on the job.

So before you pour time and energy into making the perfect resume or crafting the ideal answer to interview questions, take a look at what your online presence is saying about you.  If an employer Googles your name, will they be impressed or turned off?

Some simple steps to building an internship search-friendly online presence:

-          Don’t post online about illegal activities that you’re involved in…especially on public sites which pop up first when someone Googles your name.

-          Utilize the privacy settings on your Facebook account.

-          Use Twitter to post smart and relevant content; if you’re posting questionable stuff, privatize your account so only friends can view it.

-          Create a LinkedIn profile to show off your educational/professional accomplishments and ambitions.

-          Start a blog to display your subject area expertise and writing skills.

I was a college student just over a year ago; I know what it’s like.  Having fun and doing some crazy things are part of the college experience.  However, posting about these activities (particularly the illegal ones) can have a significant negative impact as you look for internships (and in the future, full-time jobs).  Don’t let something as small as an off-color tweet be the reason you don’t get hired for an internship.  If you’re putting attention and work toward the other parts of the internship search, it’s time you devote just as much energy to your online presence.