To Secure Internship: Clean Up Social Media Accounts

Social media connects us with friends--and perhaps family--on a digital level. However, sometimes we seem to forget that employers may even be checking up on applicants through search engines.

If you're applying for an internship in the media industry, job applications now include spaces to put your Twitter handle or Facebook profile link. Here is a comprehensive list on how to clean up your social media accounts to look your best without completely hiding yourself from search results (a major red flag to employers).

Facebook - Nearly every young adult has a Facebook profile; even if they claim to barely log in.
During college application season, my Facebook friends think they're being unique by changing their display name, thinking they'll be removed from Facebook and Google's search engines.Wrong.In the most common instance, applicants put their middle name in the place of their last name.

For example, even if I were to change my display name to "Marc Brian," all search engine results would still lead to Marc Phillips. Memory caches are not cleaned all too often. Employers can also search by e-mail address since that is a more permanent reference. Set your Facebook privacy settings to "friends only" and play around with the new, simplified settings. Many companies want to see you have an active online persona. Compromise by having your profile picture and name appear in search engines.

Look at this from the potential employer's shoes: If you can't find anything about the job candidate or see a blocked profile, surely there is something trying to be hidden. Make sure your profile picture is something which shows you in a classy, dignified way. Humorous photos with friends are acceptable as well. Just make sure the funny photos do not include blatent drug or alcohol references.

Even if you're over 21, alcohol consumption in profile pictures can be misconstrued by an employer as unprofessional. Keeping these photos from fun weekends limited to friends insures employers are not offended. Everyone has the right to enjoy themselves, but it should not be your identifying quality when applying for an internship.

Twitter: I've found that more of my friends have joined Twitter in the last few months than I would have ever expected. I also enjoy Twitter because it allows me to communicate with news sources or spokespeople (who actually answer me when I Tweet @ them!)

You can protect your tweets if you so choose, but it's in your best interest to have them public--show the variety of interesting stories you Retweeted. However, if you do keep your Twitter account public, make sure you do not login if you're under the influence or in a bad mood; because we only have 140 characters to convey moods, some tweets may give a negative insight about your personality.

MySpace: Let's be real; you don't even use this account anymore. It's time to delete this embarrassing time capsule from middle or high school. If you're unable to delete this page because of an old, inactive e-mail address, at least strip the page of its content. Your employer doesn't need to see some inappropriate or crude MySpace comment from your best friend in 2007. If you don't delete this profile for your career, at least do it for your well-being. Oh, the dark years before Facebook.

LinkedIn- If you do not have a profile on LinkedIn, make one today. This is becoming the new communication platform for business professionals. LinkedIn is a network of business people whos "friends" are named "connections," and can post job opportunities. In addition, you can have past employers write you virtual recommendations for all to see. I love LinkedIn because I can upload my portfolio or link to my published work online. The best part is that LinkedIn was created by professionals for professionals, so everything is very detailed and purposeful.

I hope these tips will help make you more presentable to employers. We all need to evaluate our profiles on a regular basis, so make this a habit. If you can think of any other popular sites I did not cover, by all means go and delete/clean them up as well. Squeaky clean applicants rise to the top of the pile when pitted against others with identical credentials.