According to a recent CNN article, even three years after pictures are deleted on Facebook, they are still accessible via a direct link. This raises questions about the security of Facebook and whether users’ privacy could be jeopardized.

For college students, this also could pose the risk of future employers finding pictures or comments that could damage their reputation. Freshman John Delaney sees the harm in Facebook pictures not being taken down after being deleted.

“If there’s a picture of when you were a freshman and you’re at a frat house and really drunk,” Delaney said, “even when you delete it, it could still pop up after your out of school and you’re trying to get a job, that could definitely be a problem.”

Although Delaney himself has never experienced a problem from something posted on Facebook, he recalls a time in high school when another student got in trouble from something he posted.

“There was a case at my high school where there was a kid who posted something on Facebook and he ended up getting expelled from school because the school saw it,” Delaney said.

Stephanie Kit, associate director of Career Services at UT, warns that employers often check job candidates’ Facebook profiles and that it could pose a real problem when students are applying for jobs.

“Basically you just really have to use common sense when you’re putting pictures and comments out there,” Kit said. “We do know that employers are checking Facebook profiles, so there’s lots of instances where they look up candidates, or they might go out and have other employees who are already on board do the searching, so it could even be that someone you know could be looking at your profile.”

Kit warns that pictures can be very dangerous, and she suggests that students be careful about what they posted on their Facebook as early as freshman year.

“You need to be careful of pictures that just don’t put you in the most professional light,” Kit said. “If you’re partying or if you’re drinking or anything illegal or even potentially what your wearing or how you look, really anything that could put you in a negative light.”

Even pictures that are put up by a friend could hurt one’s chances for landing a dream job.

“You also find that friends take pictures of you and tag you, so those could possibly be floating around, even if it wasn’t anything of your doing necessarily,” Kit said.

Kit added that social media is not all bad when it comes to job searching. She said some forms of social media could be beneficial for job hunting, such as a blog showcasing someone’s writing ability or a website that demonstrates technically ability.

“LinkedIn is another social media that is being pushed for college students to get on it. It can be a great tool for job hunting because you can connect with groups such as alumni groups or other affiliations, and you can see how you connect, so it’s a great networking tool,” Kit said.

When asked what the best thing to do to keep Facebook secure is, Kit said that adjusting the privacy settings as high as possible is best.

“I also recommend people are smart about their privacy,” Kit said. “It’s best to make your profile as private as possible.”