Recruiters: The Archaeologists of the Digital Footprint 

If you’re ever curious how we know so much about diverse yet extinct ecosystems and the animals that existed before us, thank an archaeologist. 

After long hours spent digging and sifting through dirt under the hot sun or trekking through rainforests with a poignant goal in mind, archaeologists have discovered fossils you couldn’t imagine–of various sizes, colors, shapes, ages–you name it! The footprints, the fossils, and the artifacts they discover teach us about the past and the animals alive during that time. It’s amazing how much they’re able to detect and decode from one small fossil. They provide us with a small window into the past to uncover what those animals’ lives may have been like and help us to understand a creature we’ve never met. 

I know what you’re thinking. Why is this girl going on and on about archaeologists? But I promise I’m making a point here!  

When you’re in the process of being considered for a new job, a background check to some degree is standard. In a way, recruiters and potential employers dig up whatever they can find out about you to get enough information to develop an educated understanding of the kind of person you are — all before they work with you every day. 

You learn that lesson the hard way. A criminal record of any kind is certainly a way to get flagged by recruiters and employers alike, but you don’t necessarily have to commit a serious crime to end up on their watch list. Every one of us who ever had an active account on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, etc. is leaving behind small artifacts deep in the digital space, and prime for discovery.

This is your digital footprint.  

The recruiter tasked with uncovering the significant details of your life in order to classify or identify your species of worker is the archaeologist. 

I feel this is a tough pill to swallow for a lot of younger people joining the workforce. Many of them were raised with social media as their invisible friend, an outlet for them to express themselves and connect with the world through their screen. At a young age, we lack the critical thinking skills that go into being deliberate and thoughtful about what we post online. An inappropriate joke made on Twitter, an unflattering video posted to YouTube, or pictures with drinks up, dropping it low will rear their ugly head again. 

Even if after many years you’ve forgotten their existence, the internet never forgets. It’s this exact reason that so many parents and adults are wary of children having access to social media at a young age. Not only does it shape their mind by bombarding them with constant images and discourse they may not be mature enough to handle, but it shapes their future whether they know it or not. 

It’s quite unfair how hard the hammer comes down on kids who believed they were just having fun and sharing what was then a silly memory with their friends online but are now scrutinized for their carefree adolescence. Let’s think about it. The archaeologists (or should I say recruiters and employers) of a certain age were immune to this epidemic. 

Social media didn’t exist during their most troublesome and reckless years. There’s no digital footprint of the time they drove a car onto the basketball court at their college or stayed out till the sun came up painting the town red. And yet, these individuals are responsible for detecting and dissecting digital artifacts to pass judgment on those they find undeserving of employment based on their virtual history. 

I’ve heard celebrities of the 80s and 90s specifically speak on the same sentiment, commenting on how lucky they feel to have lived their golden years of fame without the all-knowing eye of social media watching their every move. They were blessed with the ability to be free from the judgment of others and keep the wild stories of their youth private and out of their job interview.  

So, here is the question: is it really fair to judge a candidate by their digital footprint? What does the future of recruitment look like? And what can young people do to keep their digital footprint discrete? 

When it comes to outright hateful, disrespectful, or otherwise inappropriate behavior that one would not welcome into their institution, I do believe that the digital footprint can be used as a tool to disarm the racist, sexist, etc. of the world from infiltrating one’s workspace. Ultimately, it’s up to the business to decide what behaviors they will or won’t stand for. Posting a photo of drinking in college is a typical occurrence, however, videos of someone blackout drunk inflicting danger or pain onto others is reprehensible and will likely stand in the way of getting an interview. 

Recruiters are now responsible for not only a thorough review and analysis of one’s resume but also a deep, time-consuming search into the past, digging for the digital footprint to define your past and dictate your future. If it’s out there online and connected to your name, it’s fair game for recruiters to study and report their findings to the employer.  

But what can we do? Does that mean we have to be boring for all our young adult years? Should we delete our social media or create an anonymous persona online?

Well, creating a username that’s different from your legal name might help by granting you more freedom of expression online without fear of it being traced back to you in a professional setting. People have the right to have lives, interests, and passions that don’t necessarily align with their professional lives. A sense of identity and sense of self outside of work is healthy. Some even embrace a mentality that one works to live, not lives to work. 

Congressional Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was ridiculed during her election campaign for a silly video of her dancing on a roof with her college friends. Apparently, to some voters, this was a symbol of her unprofessionalism and a lack of the integrity needed to serve as a Congressional Representative. To me that’s absurd. To criticize and villainize a young woman for dancing with friends and having fun in college is backward and a misuse of the archaeology of recruitment and investigations.  

I’ll leave you with this. Think before you post. Is this harmful to others and would I be comfortable with a future employer seeing me in this light? Everyone must make decisions for themselves, knowing we can’t control which artifacts of our past are brought to the present.