By Adam Bruk

Usually after meeting someone that you want to build a connection with, you turn to Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media networks to learn more about them. What makes you think recruiters don’t do the same thing? They want to know as much as they can about you to make sure they fully know who you are before continuing in the recruiting process. If your photos primarily show you at the bars or around alcohol, a recruiter will be skeptical about moving forward with you. This isn’t the impression you want to make; you want to prove to the recruiter that you are the responsible and qualified individual that you presented during your interview.

It is very important to “clean up” your social media accounts and monitor them consistently to make sure you aren’t tagged in anything that you wouldn’t want your grandparents and religious leaders to see. Many students think that changing their last name to their middle name will stop recruiters from finding you. I spoke with an HR manager a few months ago who told me that she doesn’t search by name; she searches by email address. She told me she gets suspicious as to why people try and alter their name to be hidden.

The other option that is available is to de-activate your social media accounts. I don’t recommend » Read more: Social Media and Job Recruitment