4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name

September 16, 2008
/ By Jacob Share
/ 32 COMMENTS

63 Shares

A recent survey claims that 1 in 5 employers in the USA check up on candidates via social networks. Should you be worried about your reputation online?

8 findings that are scaring companies away

According to this article about the survey, “the top areas of concern found on social networking sites include:

Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate's page (40%)
Poor communication skills (29%)
Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
Unprofessional screen names (22%) (a classic resume mistake)
Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
Confidential information about past employers (19%)”

What to do before employers find you online

Employers don't usually search with the hopes of finding something negative about you. The opposite is true- they're looking to confirm the information on your resume and hoping to find more proof that you're a good candidate who really can help their company. However, employers can't predict how their search will end.

But you can.

Everything on the Internet can be found if someone is really determined to find it. Google caches (keeps copies of) websites for months and the Internet Archive keeps copies of webpages for years. Here's what Yahoo looked like on October 17th, 1996. However…
People can't find what isn't there. Keep the above 8-point list in mind whenever you comment, blog, post a video, upload pictures of yourself or contribute to the Internet in any other way.
See what employers will discover about you before beginning a job search (or now, better late than never). Use the same websites that employers might use to find out about you. Google your name and search for it on social networks that are popular where your employer is. Here's another reference in French but you'll recognize names like MySpace and Facebook.
Decide how to react once you know which results employers will see. Try to clean up any sites that will leave a negative impression and improve the sites that will leave a positive one. For example, clean up your profiles on the social networks that you use or have used in the past. The order these sites appear in the search results is the way to determine priorities.

Look for an upcoming article here on JobMob with more details and advice on how to find and track what's being said about you online so that you can take preventive action and be ready with good answers to potentially embarrassing interview questions.

Should it even matter?

Everyone makes mistakes and does things they regret later. Should you pay the consequences for those actions years after the fact? Is that fair?

If you liked this article, you'll enjoy the 200+ Resources and Tips To Help Manage Your Reputation Online.

Active online? Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for information on how to optimize your Web reputation.

About the Author Jacob Share

Job Search Expert, Professional Blogger, Creative Thinker, Community Builder with a sense of humor. I like to help people.

follow me on:

Leave a Comment:

32 comments

Karla Nazareth says

That post about resume ideas is one of the most useful I’ve ever seen in the internet. Thanks a lot. I’ll sign your RSS to be always up to date [=

Jacob Share says

Thanks Karla! Take a look at the other links in my Best Of tab, I’m sure you’ll find more articles you like there too.

Pete Aldin says

Scary that they check. Good thoughts.

150+ Resources and Tips To Help Manage Your Reputation Online | JobMob says

[…] Stay tuned here at JobMob for an upcoming article about different strategies using these tools. In the meantime, if you liked this article you’ll enjoy 4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name. […]

Doug Caldwell says

The old saying is character is what you do when nobody is looking.

Jacob Share says

Great quote, Doug. Spot on.

Elton says

What if somebody frames you?

Jacob Share says

Elton- how they framed you will determine how you should react. See 180+ Resources and Tips To Help Manage Your Reputation Online for more specific steps to take.

Mother Knows Best « Courtney’s J255 Blog says

[…] article on JobMob points out the top 8 things that employers find when they google potential employees. Not […]

10 Tips to Successful Resume Posting on the Internet | JobMob says

[…] If you enjoyed this article, you’ll like 4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name. […]

Your online reputation could be keeping you unemployed « internSHARE Blog says

[…] your name into a search engine and see what comes up. You could be surprised to see how much people can find out about you. Don’t just skim the first page – click on the […]

Twitter Personal Branding Q + A #2 | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel says

[…] A bad, brand-destroying user name, like one that hints of anything an employer would shy away from in the professional space: sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. Unless you actually want to work in one of those industries, this kind of user name might seem funny or cute at the time but it can easily come back to haunt you as a reputation-buster in a recruiter’s candidate-checking Google search. […]

Your online reputation could be keeping you unemployed | TalentEgg Career Incubator says

[…] your name into a search engine and see what comes up. You could be surprised to see how much people can find out about you. Don’t just skim the first page – click on the […]

MtnBikeRiders.com » Blog Archive » Memorial Day Ride 2011 says

[…] surface when either of us are looking for a new job and the potential employer decides to Google of our names. AKPC_IDS += "6838,";Popularity: unranked [?] Bookmark It Hide Sites […]

Don Carlson says

What about defamation and impersonation in combination with SEO manipulation of Google search results? That is being done to me and I didn’t encourage it. It paints me in a very bad light and I can’t delete it.

This sort of thing needs to be taken into account when employers start judging applicants based on what they can find on the internet. The old addage, “don’t believe anything you read and only half of what you see” holds true, even in the Digital Age.

Jacob Share says

Don- see the section called “Damage Control”, halfway down the page, in my 200+ Resources and Tips To Help Manage Your Reputation Online.

Online identity « deborahjudah says

[…] understand that although posts can be deleted nothing can be truely erased. A recent blogpost on JobMob by Jacob Share stated that the […]

[POLL] Have You Ever Googled Your Name? | JobMob says

[…] 4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name, I mentioned a 2008 survey that reported how 20% of American employers researched candidates’ […]

4-Step Recipe To Become a Golden Job Candidate | JobMob says

[…] What would whet your curiosity enough to choose those few out of thousands of applicants? Would you Google them? […]

5 Personal Branding Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Personal Brand | JobMob says

[…] more and more employers Google your name after receiving your resume, any past shenanigans can come to light and make you look silly, taking […]

Twitter Personal Branding Q&A #2: Twitter Usernames, Personal Brand Managers and More | JobMob says

5 Things You Must Know For HR | JobMob says

[…] Likes and posts are being analyzed. Clean up your digital dirt before you apply to a position. Employers are putting your name in search engines to see what they find. Successful job seekers know to treat their social media posts like they […]

Kate says

It’s a long and careful process to protect yourself.

5 Things HR Wants You To Know » CAREER TRANSITIONS GUIDE says

🏃 7 Ways To Speed Up Your Job Search Results says

[…] It’s a smart idea to look up information on the people who interview you, as well as other power players working for potential employers. Just remember – if you can Google them, they can Google you. […]

Add Your Reply

63 Shares