Clean Up Your Online Reputation Before You Update Your Resume

Are you searching for a job? 

Did you think to Google yourself first?

If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Most people assume that they won’t find much about themselves, and that performing a so-called “ego” search couldn’t possibly reveal anything of interest. However, you might be surprised.

If you are online at all, you probably have a web footprint.

Do you use any social media site – even one? Have you ever commented on a blog post? Are you a member of any forums?

For that matter, has anyone ever taken a picture of you?

In today’s world, there is almost always something about you online. Some of it might just tell employers more than you wanted them to know.

Nothing is just as bad as something.

Let’s say you are the rare person who really doesn’t have a web presence. Unless you are applying for a minimum wage job, your lack of presence can hurt you as well.

Employers want people who stand out, and who demonstrate passion and expertise. The guy who maintains a blog about the latest industry trends is going to get the call before someone with no profile at all. If you just can’t find anything then you are passing up valuable opportunities to make yourself a first-choice employee.

Given today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, that is not an edge you can afford to lose.

What should you scrub?

When it’s time to “scrub” your online profile you should look for any of the following:

• Political rants.

• Any discussion of partying, sex, drugs, or alcohol.

• Any picture of you with a drink in your hand, even if it is innocent.

• Any “flame wars” you have gotten into on any site.

• Photos or posts that reveal any personal information you would not want to share with employers, including religion, sexual orientation, family status or health.

If you can, delete the most problematic content yourself. You may have to ask other people to delete some of it for you. If you can’t get it all deleted, you will need to bury it. Often, this can be done by creating exactly the sort of web presence that you need in order to stay competitive anyway.

How do you start building your presence?

Start with your LinkedIn profile. It will rank high naturally, and employers will want to see it. Choose settings that will make it visible to the public. 

After you’ve set up on LinkedIn you have many options for creating a positive profile, including:

• Creating your own blog for your target industry or profession.

• Leaving thoughtful comments on other industry blogs.

• Offering guest posts to relevant blogs.

• Answering relevant questions on Quora or Yahoo! Answers.

• Sharing relevant content and commenting on it on Google+.

This helps ensure that there will be plenty of impressive material for recruiters to spot on the search engine results page.

When does reputation management become an emergency?

Most of the methods I’ve listed here will be enough for the average job seeker. However, there are those for whom a job search will turn up much deeper problems.

For example, were you arrested in the past? Even if you were never convicted your face may be up on a mug shot website. You may be the victim of a gossip website or forum, where someone could be busy accusing you of everything from drug abuse to child molestation. If you’re truly unlucky, an ex might have hopped onto the “revenge porn” bandwagon.

If you’re facing any of these problems you need to reach out to a good reputation management company right away. An expert company can help you scrub this defamatory content while helping you create a sterling web presence.

Remember, according to Forbes, 90% of executive recruiters and 70% of employers Google you before calling for an interview or extending a job offer. Only 26% of them will give you a chance to explain yourself if they don’t like what they see. That’s why online reputation management should take even more priority than your resume in your job search. All things considered, your SERPs might just plain matter more.