‘It all kind of symbolises something doesn’t it?’ How students present their career image online

Abstract

It has become common to share images of yourself online. There is evidence that employers are using these images as part of selection decisions. This article presents a research project which explored these issues with current undergraduates. It found that students had a clear understanding of what a professional online career image would look like, but that this was not reflected in the images that they shared. However, students were careful and considered in the images that they did share; they just did not want employers looking at them. For careers professionals this situation presents an ethical challenge as to how far we want to curb students’ online identities to ensure their employability.