Dear students, what you post can wreck your life

Harvard recently rescinded admission offers for some incoming freshmen who participated in a private Facebook group sharing offensive memes.

College admissions staff, future employers and even potential dates are more and more likely to check your profile and make decisions or judgments about you.

[...] a determined online sleuth can sometimes find ways around privacy settings, viewing photos and posts you might think are well hidden.

According to CareerBuilder’s 2017 social media recruitment survey, social media screening is through the roof:

- 70 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates

- 34 percent of employers found online content that caused them to reprimand or fire an employee

Kaplan Test Prep’s 2017 survey of over 350 college admissions officers found that 35 percent checked applicants’ social media profiles.

Remember, social media is not all bad; in many cases it helps recruiters get a good feel for your personality and potential fit.

The CareerBuilder survey found 44 percent of employers who screened candidates via social networks found positive information that caused them to hire a candidate.