When searching for employment or a new contract, a key part of the process that many neglect is to tidy up your online information and reputation. Around 60% of employers look their candidates up online.
Google yourself
The first step, and it’s an easy one, is to Google yourself and see what comes up on the first few pages. Ensure that there are no out-of-date CVs on jobsites and LinkedIn.
If anything bad does come up, you may be able to remove it – comments and photos on Facebook, LinkedIn, and many other sites and forums can be removed. If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t remove content, for example forums where you’ve complained about customer service, the consolation is that in time the information will disappear down the search engine ranks as it becomes less relevant.
Social Networking
Fortunately, social networking sites such as Facebook and Google+ can be fine tuned to choose what you will and won’t display to the wider public, and potential employers. Its perfectly possible, and indeed a good idea, to set your Facebook profile to “friends only” and create a public Facebook “page” about your professional life, which interested partied can subscribe to. That said, if you do find anything really damaging or disparaging posted about you, even on a private profile, ask for it to be removed. The nature of the Internet makes it all to easy for people to share content that wasn’t intended for the world to see.
Check sites like YouTube, Tumblr, and indeed anything else you may have put your real name to. If there’s content on here that you don’t want an recruiter seeing, then change your username to something more anonymous, so it isn’t associated with you.
Take a Long-Term View
While using the web day-to-day, remember that anything you post linked to your real name can be searched and found at any point in the future. Also, avoid making social network or blog posts during the working day – it’s too much of a risk when posts are date and time marked. Also, be measured when giving feedback via customer service forms – remember, you may want to work for this company at some point in the future. With this in mind, post worthwhile questions and make sensible and considered comments – you are in a public forum and on display to the world, so act appropriately.
