Why You Should Keep Up With Your Reputation Even After You Get that Hot Job

While you were job hunting, your online reputation might have been on your mind constantly. You knew that anything a potential employer saw on Google could and would be used against you, and you did everything you could to put your best foot forward.

Now that you have your hot new job you can stop worrying about all of this, right?

Not so fast! Your current employer is probably keeping a close eye on your behavior. According to Next Web, 44% of employers track employee social media use both inside the office and outside the office, for example. Figures vary depending upon which article you read, but anywhere from 8% to 30% of employees are getting fired over their social media behavior.

If you count people who have gotten fired over online scandals then the number rises considerably. Plenty of people have lost jobs to smear campaigns, accusations, mugshot websites and revenge porn. This is because as a member of the company you, in some way, reflect on that company's brand. And some companies just won't risk getting caught up in the problems that your bad reputation generates.

You also need to remember that you may not be at your current job forever, even if everything goes well. Sooner or later you will probably want or need to get back out on the market. If you've let your online reputation slip during the intervening time then you will have an uphill battle ahead of you. Failing to monitor your reputation also prevents you from managing the passive job market correctly. You never know when a recruiter will contact you with an even better opportunity.

So watch what you do, and watch what you say, because others are watching you. Monitor your online presence constantly to make sure that you're not going to be blindsided by any nasty surprises. Consciously and proactively contribute and build your personal brand whenever and wherever possible.

And if something goes wrong, don't be afraid to reach out to an online reputation management service. They might just be the "big guns" you need to remove problematic content quickly, before it impacts your work life.