A social media footprint is hard to erase

A recent survey conducted by recruitment firm Robert Half International found that nearly half of the 416 hiring managers polled check potential candidates' Facebook profiles as part of the background screening process, StartupSmart reports. The poll of finance and accounting managers reported that 36 percent admitted to checking prospects' Facebook profiles. In addition, 36 percent also said that the use of social networking sites has had a negative impact on other people's workplace relationships. "As a general rule of thumb, if there is anything online that employees don't want their colleagues or bosses to see, they should remove it," Andrew Brushfield, Robert Half director, tells the media outlet. He adds that potential candidates need to be aware of their social media footprint when applying for positions. WCCB-TV reports that parents should consider keeping track of their child's social media use at an early age, since it may come back to haunt them in the future. Tracy Alves, a social media consultant, explains to the news source that a child's participation on Facebook could conceivably come back to affect them as they go into the job market and when they're applying for college.