The impact of social media on todayʼs job search environment is significant compared to say 2-3 years ago, particularly when it comes the amount of information available for potential employers to "review" prior to selecting candidates.
Reversely, the availability of information on the web also makes it easy for potential employees to do research people before interviews. I can tell you that I have definitely done that for interview preparation. Furthermore, my first instinct when considering business relationships, is to Google someone and see what comes up. For a lot of companies these days, this is something that is frequently done before hiring anybody as an employee, consultant, or contractor.
Anyone can easily find personal information about anyone else simply by doing a Google search. Social media has increased the proliferation of photos, personal stories, information about religious and political point-of-views, as well as sexual orientation and relationship status, things that a company are forbidden to ask, people make widely available on the internet for free.
So what can you do to ensure that you manage your reputation, particularly if you are looking for work? Google yourself!
Go to Google and enter your first and last name in quotes, for example: "Andi Fisher" - this will narrow the results and only give you those two words (in this case, names) together rather than pulling up anything with either just Andi or just Fisher (plus those with both Andi and Fisher).
What comes up? Clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up, including old profiles you may have created months or years ago and then abandoned. Think about your tagging strategy for Facebook if you are in a lot of pictures, are they appropriate? Do you have a personal blog? Is the content appropriate for your profession?
Now what if you Google yourself and there isn't much there? No worries...start building up your numbers by creating accounts on some social media networks, particularly LinkedIn if you are looking for a job. Post articles or comment on professional forums in your industry. Start a blog. This can be done slowly over time. This is an easier "problem" to fix than say your name was headlined in your college newspaper after you were arrested for hazing, or something like that!
Now that you are aware of what your results are, make sure that you Google yourself on a monthly basis. Do an audit on yourself and your reputation. safeguard it and protect it for future employment, business or personal opportunities.
Reversely, the availability of information on the web also makes it easy for potential employees to do research people before interviews. I can tell you that I have definitely done that for interview preparation. Furthermore, my first instinct when considering business relationships, is to Google someone and see what comes up. For a lot of companies these days, this is something that is frequently done before hiring anybody as an employee, consultant, or contractor.
Anyone can easily find personal information about anyone else simply by doing a Google search. Social media has increased the proliferation of photos, personal stories, information about religious and political point-of-views, as well as sexual orientation and relationship status, things that a company are forbidden to ask, people make widely available on the internet for free.
So what can you do to ensure that you manage your reputation, particularly if you are looking for work? Google yourself!
Go to Google and enter your first and last name in quotes, for example: "Andi Fisher" - this will narrow the results and only give you those two words (in this case, names) together rather than pulling up anything with either just Andi or just Fisher (plus those with both Andi and Fisher).
What comes up? Clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up, including old profiles you may have created months or years ago and then abandoned. Think about your tagging strategy for Facebook if you are in a lot of pictures, are they appropriate? Do you have a personal blog? Is the content appropriate for your profession?
Now what if you Google yourself and there isn't much there? No worries...start building up your numbers by creating accounts on some social media networks, particularly LinkedIn if you are looking for a job. Post articles or comment on professional forums in your industry. Start a blog. This can be done slowly over time. This is an easier "problem" to fix than say your name was headlined in your college newspaper after you were arrested for hazing, or something like that!
Now that you are aware of what your results are, make sure that you Google yourself on a monthly basis. Do an audit on yourself and your reputation. safeguard it and protect it for future employment, business or personal opportunities.
RSS Feed