Drunken selfies aside, being professional on social media means more than avoiding those posts exclaiming love for beer and weed.

Nowadays most of us are on some form of social media, but unnoticed by some, the content that students publish could hurt their professional careers in the long run. Schools often touch on this topic when students are looking to apply for jobs; however, even that might be too late for social media users who have had accounts for years (Facebook was founded in 2004).

But just how many of these potential employers are researching us just after we drop off our applications? A new nationwide CareerBuilder study found that nearly 39 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates. Not only do employers look for provocative photos or text posts, but they also search for offensive comments that may be related to gender, religion and race.

College is a time of self-exploration and delving into new experiences. However, these ventures can come at a cost. While the red cup photo may not seem like a big deal at the time of the picture, it can provide employers with an idea of how you like to spend your free time, and it can show illegal activities that you maybe now forgot about.

Furthermore, the idea that “once something is on the internet, it stays there forever” is true. The Library of Congress has archived all tweets since Twitter was created in 2006. They are also working on making the archives available for researchers or anyone else seeking the information.

On the other hand, effective communication and positive comments can go a long way with a future employer. By refining your profile and making it more professional, it shows your employer that you are more serious about your job and expanding your career. It can also open many doors for you and help you make connections. Online job listings are much more prevalent now that the Internet has expanded all over the world.

Take, for example, the popular, professional social media market LinkedIn where approximately 77 percent of all jobs are posted. For those of you who are not familiar with LinkedIn, it is a “business-oriented social networking site” founded nearly 10 years ago, quickly garnering a great reputation. For many, it has become an online resume helping professionals grow their profiles and reach out to others. The website allows job seekers to view hiring managers’ pages and even follow different companies that will alert you when they are hiring. However, it is important to note that this means we must separate our professional profiles from our personal ones. By separating the two, we can open many more doors for ourselves.

Refine your profiles in order to help rather than hurt yourself in your professional endeavors. Positive social media choices in college and in general are important because they help set up acceptance into future programs. Not only are your employers checking out your profile, but so are many more people who may have a say when the time comes to start applying. So make sure the guy that’s getting paid to creep on your social media (and anyone else who happens to be there) will not be able to uncover your guilty collegiate pleasures.

Allie Ebben ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in nursing.