What people can find out about you in Google matters to your success in life.
Search engines are how we do quick background checks, whether we just met someone new or are researching someone we haven’t met. You can’t control who Googles you, but you can control what they find.
People Are Looking For You Online
Who is Looking For Me Online?
Recruiters and employers are researching you as a potential job applicant.
College admissions staff are looking you up as a potential undergraduate/graduate student.
Individuals who just met you or are going to meet you are looking you up to find out more about you.
Clients are looking you up as a potential service provider.
Co-workers are looking you up to know more about you.
How Does Your Web Presence Affect Hiring Decisions?
Not convinced of the importance of your web presence? According to a 2008 CareerBuilder study:
Of those hiring managers who have screened job candidates via social networking profiles, one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration.
- 40% – candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
- 29% – candidate had poor communication skills
- 28% – candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
- 22% – candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
On the other hand, social networking profiles gave some job seekers an edge over the competition. Twenty-four percent of hiring managers who researched job candidates via social networking sites said they found content that helped to solidify their decision to hire the candidate. Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included:
- 48% – candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job
- 43% – candidate had great communication skills
- 40% – candidate was a good fit for the company’s culture
So What Can You Do?
There are a whole slew of things you can do to not only clean up your social networking profiles and online image, but also become more visible and credible online. Here are a few of the essentials:
1) Clean up any digital dirt. This means removing pictures, content and links that can send the wrong message to a potential employer before you start your job search. Since other people can post anything they want about you online as well, be sure to scour the internet regularly for questionable pictures, videos, blog comments etc. that other people may have posted about you.
2) Update your profile regularly. Make sure to include specific accomplishments both inside and outside of work. Also include interesting tid bits about yourself, including passions relevant to your career that may spark an employers interest.
3) Constantly monitor comments. Since you can’t control what other people say on your site, you may want to use the “block comments” feature.
4) Go private. It is a very good idea to set your profile to “private,” so only designated friends can view it. Also be careful about who you accept as “friends” after all, the best judge of a person is the people they choose to surround themselves with.
5) Stay active online. By commenting on blogs and forums, updating your profiles, and even creating your own site you can become much more visible and credible online. This gives the people who search you a much more comprehensive picture of who you are and allows you to highlight the good and bury the bad.
This is a very short and basic list meant to cover the essentials and give you a starting point for controlling your online brand.
To find out some great ways to create an amazing online presence that will wow employers and acquaintances alike, check out our blog post: Personal Branding Online: The Short and Sweet Version.
