Admissions officers use Google, too
Ever Googled yourself or someone else you know? Here’s something to consider: Admissions officers at schools where you have applied may be Googling YOU. And what they find could take your name off the list of prospective students.
Last year, I interviewed Drew Myers, president of the military-to-civilian recruiting firm RecruitMilitary.com. Myers spoke then of the importance of keeping your image clean and respectable on social-networking sites, so would-be employers don’t find any unpleasant surprises when they check up on you online.
It should come as no surprise that colleges and universities are looking at you, too. A recent survey by education services company Kaplan Inc. found that 10 percent of admissions officers from prestigious schools had looked up applicants’ profiles on Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Of those using the profiles, 38 percent said it had a “negative impact” on the applicant.
Job-placement firm Bradley-Morris, which specializes in veteran job placement, has a good article on its Web site about so-called cyberskeletons and how they can haunt you in the job search. The information has applicability to the college admissions process as well.
