Are future employers going to come across the idiotic things I post here and elsewhere online?

Employers mainly go by the interview and your references. Something posted on the web may or may not be you, they don't know for sure. As for something you posted in the past being traceable to you, don't always look at that as a something negative cause it depends on the reader. For example, if you had posted rants about President Bush being an idiot...well, if a prospective employer did say that they might very well agree with you (if they are smart themselves).

The real question you have to ask yourself, do you really want to have a long term career with a place that would be so turned-off by your postings they wouldn't hire you, promote you or fire you.

In one word, maybe! Employers today are fully aware that people post things on the internet. And many do regularly check sources like Myspace, Facebook, etc. So it may come back to haunt you later!

Now what should you do if an employer came across one of these "dumb" things you posted? Don't lie and deny it! That makes you look foolish and untrustworthy. Instead, freely admit that you did it, but it was when you were a different person. In other words, you've grown up!

The morale of the story is this: Assume employers have seen what you've posted and be prepared to answer for it.

Well, some employers could care, and they could also check Myspace and Facebook too... Not sure about YA...

Like legal law firms... They do care about their employees keeping a clean slate with their views on the world; and more like... do not mix their own personal views with the corporation's that they work for. Because it could cause a division or a case could open the floodgates of legal crap that people can sue for also...

Once the genie is out of the bottle... He never returns.

Yes. We (the Future Employers of America or FEA) keep track of all such things and you cannot hide from us by using fake names because we do track your e-mail address.

We have a large data base in our massive computer system and any employer belonging to the FEA can simply pull up your name and find all those stupid things you have ever said anywhere....so watch what you say online!