Your first day at any internship is going to be nerve wracking. You are trying both to make friends and to impress your boss simultaneously.

Imagine being in a room with all 120 interns and having your most inappropriate Facebook photo show up on the projector.

That’s what happened to Duke on our first day at last summer’s White House intern program orientation. She asked him if he though the picture was a good representation of the President– and suddenly, her intent became clear. Reputation can make or break a career, and ours was not limited to the relationships formed in the historic buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Abigail Adams didn’t think that it would be appropriate to hang President Adams’ laundry outside for everyone to see so should would hang it in the East Room. Take a page from Abigail’s book, and don’t air your dirty laundry.

Do: Proactively represent a positive image

Use Twitter to follow and have conversations with the companies or people you want to work with.

‘Like’ the companies you want to work for on Facebook and comment on posts that interest you. Get in the conversation and the companies will notice. Just make sure to set your profile privacy so that only your friends can view your posts, status, and pictures.

Use LinkedIn to promote your academic or career changes an achievements. It is your public resume. As Kelly Hoey said, “if you don’t brag about your career and your achievements who is going to do it? You need to own your expertise and you need to put it out there. If you don’t own your accomplishments someone else will. It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” LinkedIn allows you to put your accomplishments out there. You might not want to Facebook friend your co-worker, potential mentor, boss, or someone you met at a networking event but you can (and should) connect with them on LinkedIn. If you set up a LinkedIn profile it will come up as one of the first things that people see when they search you.

Create a blog. Blogging is a great, and often free, way to showcase your creativity and non-academic writing. Even if you don’t have your dream job you can write about your dream industry whether it is fashion or the environment. I wrote a blog post comparing The Levo League to a Birkin (The Birkin of Gen Y Career Advancement Sites) and now I’m writing for Levo!

Google yourself. You need to know what people can find out about you. It is also interesting to learn if you have been misrepresented. I have been meaning to send them a thank you note for their accuracy. You never know what you can learn about yourself!

Don’t: Make your online ire traceable

Don’t assume that your “anonymous blog” will stay anonymous. Google Jessica Cutler and The Washingtonienne for proof.

Don’t write a Tweet or Facebook status about how much you hate your job or your co-workers. Why enter the job market before you are ready? Save the catty comments for your diary-if you wouldn’t say it to their face don’t say it on Facebook or Twitter (also I have no idea who your co-worker Molly is). Google Dr. June Talvitie-Siple for proof.

Don’t post compromising photos of yourself on Facebook. If you wouldn’t want your parents or grandparents to see it don’t post it. Google Caitlin Davis for proof.

Instead of letting your social media hinder your job search, let your online identity boost the process!