Rules and regulations of acceptable content in online personal profiles have become more of a concern for employers hiring job candidates.

A critical look at one’s Facebook or MySpace profile could benefita student in the long run.

“A couple of years ago, I was working with the Meredith Apprenticeship Program, and as a part of the prehiring process I looked up the Facebook profile of a potential candidate,” said Debra Gibson, Meredith Apprenticeship Program coordinator and clinician for the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. “One student had a common theme of drinking and foul language on the profile. That affected the decision not to award the apprenticeship.”

Gibson said employers look at how students present themselves in their online profiles.

“They look for levels of maturity and professionalism,” Gibson said. “Foul language and the predominance of drinking and party photos can give the wrong image.”

Possible employers often take a look at profiles to see how they will reflect the company or organization.

“In speaking with prospective employers, the art of checking a potential candidates’ Facebook profile is becoming more of a routine practice,” said Steve Kravinsky, director of career placement-Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“Your social networking account could weigh heavily in a negative vein if it shows you or your friends’ attachments in less than professional situations. If you insist on having a social networking page — I really don’t know a student at Iowa State that doesn’t — then make sure you keep it clean and professional,” Kravinsky said.

Larry Ponemon, founder of the Ponemon Institute, said in an MSNBC interview that financial services, law and consulting firms, along with health care providers, are among the biggest users of social network profiles screening.

He also said risque pictures, derogatory comments and illegal behavior, such as drug use and the heavy consumption of alcohol, could potentially disqualify a candidate from an internship or job offer. Poor writing and incorrect grammar usage on a profile serve as a red flag of communication skills.

Some students on campus are already well aware of the content on their social networking profiles. Many sororities have enacted rules upon their members to clean up their profiles if they mention the organization’s name in their profiles.

“Our house’s motto is ‘to be womanly always,’ so we like to represent ourselves in the most positive way possible,” said Katherine Pivec, member of Chi Omega and junior in art and design. “They ask us to keep our Facebook profiles clean enough that we wouldn’t mind our moms or dads to see them. We are advised not to have pictures of alcohol if you’re under 21 and no smoking.”

The greek community on the ISU campus prides itself in representing their members in a respectful and positive manner.

“[Interfraternity Council] does not have rules regarding Facebook. It is left up to chapters to regulate their own members, if they choose to do so,” said Dusty Kroll, president of the Interfraternity Council and senior in marketing.

Filtering the information posted online could benefit students in the long run, Kravinsky said.

Facts about online profile checking:

35 percent of employers use a Google search for potential candidates

23 percent of employers look up candidates on social networking sites

1/3 of these web searches lead to rejections

Keep your profile on a private setting

Promote yourself/profile professionally

Pay attention to your “status”, employers also look at that, it can lead to misgivings about your attitude

Avoid posting any negative comments about professors on your friends’ walls