14 Jan 10 Controlling Your Online Reputation

Your online reputation can be the difference between success and failure when looking for a new job. You might not even be aware of what information is easily available to anyone performing a Google search on your name.  Almost every potential employer will perform a search on your name, to see what pops up.  Too much negativity and you could be crossed off immediately.  So how do you go about improving, or creating a positive online reputation?

Well, being as active as possible is a start.  Having no internet identity can be just as bad as having a negative one.  Employers want to see positive extra curricular activity, and work history.  These are cues to what sort of employee you are, so make sure an interviewer can easily find them.  Be active in professional forums, maintain a personal blog, and keep a professionally oriented social networking page.

Make sure that everything you put out there puts you into a positive light.  Anything you want an employer to see needs to be about creativity, positive, and showcasing commitment and hard work.  Don’t bash old employers and bosses, because that’s a big turn off to anybody interested in you.  In fact, don’t bash anybody, or have anything negative on a page that’s intended to be professional, because it will only show you in a bad light.

But don’t forget, what you put out there is only half the battle.  You need to search your name to see what other people are putting out in relation to your name.  Do a search, see if anything comes up from past employers, or if anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see pops up.  Takes steps to correct these, or have them removed from search engines if you’re uncomfortable with the material.  Most of the time places like Google are more than willing to work with you, so long as you’re polite and patient.

Tags: Creativity, Cues, Extra Curricular Activity, Google, Google Search, Half The Battle, Internet Identity, Interviewer, Looking For A New Job, Negativity, Personal Blog, Professional Forums, Reputation, Search Engines, Social Networking, Success And Failure, Time Places, Work History