No place to let your hair down The Washington Post 20.07.11 A friend hunts deer in Germany. His Facebook profile shows him hoisting a rifle in the air. Another friend wrote on Twitter last month, “On plane. Just took Ambien*. Twitter is my dreams. You are all glue. Happy birthday cellphone!” Innocent pursuits perhaps: The Ambien was prescribed; the rifle is licensed. Even so, my friends would likely fail a social media background check. Like criminal background checks and drug tests, the social media check is quickly becoming an automatic part of the hiring process. Employers regularly run quick Google searches to vet applicants, but since September, California-based Social Intelligence has been contracting with corporations across the country to institute standard social media background checks — with the blessings of the federal government. The company patrols the web for telltale signs that you might be a questionable hire. Flagrant display of weapons. Sexually explicit photos. Racist remarks. References to drug use. It’s the same reasons why you do a criminal check,” chief executive Max Drucker said in a phone interview. [...] All of which means we may not realize the trail we leave on the web. Social Intelligence scans the archive you create for misdeeds, offering companies 30 parameters to choose from in the search. It’s a process that, when first announced, elicited comparisons to Big Brother. However, the procedure may not be as invasive or frightening as one may think. [...] A job candidate should spend as much time polishing an online profile as choosing an interview suit. “Create an online persona that is far richer than a resume might be,” Drucker said. “Create your own personal domain. Participate in various industry blogs. Put yourself out there in a way you’d like your employer to see.” * ambien = a medicine prescribed to make you sleep.