Despite social media websites being a boon for employers scoping out job applicants, there is bad news for certain groups of young people.
Researchers have found that-among young adults-men, Hispanics and those with lower Internet skills are the least likely to keep employment-related audiences in mind when it comes to their online profiles.
Women, whites and those with higher Internet skills are more likely to actively manage their social media privacy settings as they seek a job or maintain employment.
This is the first study to analyze how different demographics of young adults approach online reputation management strategies during a job search.
"Young people could benefit from understanding the implications of these issues," Eszter Hargittai, lead author of the study, said.
"Without adequate privacy settings, inappropriate pictures or comments posted on a social media profile could be seen by an employer and cost you a job opportunity," she said.
The study is published online in the journal IEEE Security and Privacy.