Building Your Online Image

While social networking websites are popular among youth and the tech-savvy, they’ve also received their share of negative buzz.

Job hunters need to be aware that their prospective employers are looking them up. ComputerWorld.com states that 77 per cent of recruiters use search engines to learn more about prospective employees. In addition, 10 per cent of recruiters also use social networking websites to look up candidates.

If personal web pages are bombarded with inappropriate content for an employer to see, this can be disadvantageous. However, if they provide readers with favorable information, this can set apart one candidate from another. By posting relevant information to your job field of interest, you can construct your image through the use of web tools. Here are a few tips to help you control your online image:

1) Google yourself – Use search engines to find out what information about you is being made public. Run your name through several search engines at least once a month such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.com, and go through the first two to three pages available to ensure that most of the information about you is favorable. To refine search results (especially if you have a fairly common name), place your full name inside quotation marks followed by an aspect of you that sets you apart from other people with the same name, such as your city, occupation or both, i.e. “Jane Smith” Montreal, “Jane Smith” photographer, or “Jane Smith” Montreal photographer.

2) Create social networking profiles – Consider creating a profile with your professional information on a social networking website such as LinkedIn. By managing the content on your public profile, you have full control over the information made available. You can also create a work-related account on Facebook or Twitter that includes relevant professional information. In addition, this account must be regularly monitored because other people will constantly post messages on your page. While you may not be in control of what others write about you on your profile, you do have the ability to delete inappropriate comments as well as remove users from your friend lists. This professional account can be made public to draw in positive attention. However, if your social networking accounts are being used for personal purposes, they should be set at the highest privacy settings available. Prospective employers may look up your name on a search engine or on a specific social networking website, and if your profile isn’t secure, your name will appear. You can also consider opening two separate profiles on social networking websites – one for employment purposes with your full name and public information, and a second account for personal use that uses your middle name or nickname and has high privacy settings.

3) Build a website/blog – Consider creating a website that will put all your skills on full display. If you work with your hands, take pictures of your creations and upload them to a website in order to establish an online portfolio, or include a copy of your resume. If your penmanship is your strongest skill set, share your ideas on a blog. If you have both, even better! Be sure to keep your website simple and easy to navigate, and update your blog as often as possible to keep your content fresh.

To optimize online traffic, make sure that there are links available to your Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn profiles on each web page and profile.

While your resume credentials may be strong, an imprudent attitude towards the Internet can crush your chances at scoring job opportunities. Although these tips may not guarantee employment, they will minimize your chances of being eliminated from the hiring pool.