Social networking sites, such as MySpace,are fast becoming substitutes for old fashioned resumes when employers sort through candidates to fill certain jobs,especially entry level ones.

Unfortunately,these same employers or college admissions officials are not looking for positive things about you,but things that may suggest you’ll be a troubled employee or student.

I have students  where I teach at the college level tell me that they were caught off guard when applying for summer internships by recruiters more than a bit familiar with their cyber life. 

In fact,there are even reports of some large companies actually employing high school and college age kids to,in effect, spy on potential young recruits by combing the Internet looking for anything that may reflect badly on the job or school applicant.

With that in mind, it is prudent to practice a degree of self-censorship when writing blogs or posting comments on other people’s web sites. You never know when something may come back to haunt you.

One of the biggest problems of late is the growing practice of high school and even junior high schools students uploading digital cell phone pictures or video of themselves engaged in make-believe or, in some cases,real acts that the adult community might consider lewd conduct. Do you really want to go to a job interview someday and find the human resources person looking at that picture on his computer screen and asking you to explain your behavior? Do you really think you’ll get that job or be asked to fill that position?

Remember, things that may be considered cute when very young, can take on a far more sinister pale once one grows older.