Using FaceWash to cleanse your Facebook page of dirty words and potentially racy posts between friends sounds appealing to students preparing to venture into the job market, but are employers, who use social media to get a sense of who they’re hiring, losing an edge in the highly competitive hiring game?

Ryan McNaughton, career services counselor, believes they have nothing to fear.

“Employers are very good at digging,” he said.

Reppler, a site that aims to help people manage their online image on social media platforms, published a survey finding that 69 percent of employers have rejected a job candidate because of what they have found on social media sites. Also, more than 90 percent of employers use social media to screen applicants.

“HR [human resources] people are telling us that the first thing they’ll do is Google your name and see what comes up, even before looking at your resume,” McNaughton said.

A basic list of red flags you want to watch for:

? Profanity, and everything counts – not just “F-bombs”

? Any sexual or drug references

? Pictures/posts about drinking (especially if you’re underage, but even if you’re 21)

? Poor spelling and grammar

? Strong political or religious points of view (they won’t really work against you, but they may not work for you either)

While everyone could use a little rinse every now and then, the students who habitually turn to Facewash will still get themselves in trouble.

“I give caution to any student who thinks that one app, even if it is developed by three very intelligent Kent State students, is going to solve all of their past transgressions and wipe their slate completely clean,” McNaughton said. “They’re going to have a rude awakening in the real world.”

That being said, most of us already have “Facewash” built inherently inside of us. Students should be using privacy settings and using common sense when posting things on any social media site.

McNaughton suggests using the rule of 75/25: being 75 percent professional and 25 percent fun when posting content online. Basically, just be smart, and apps like this won’t even be necessary.

Click here for more information on FaceWash.

Contact Kelsey Husnick at [email protected].