Do you know what your online reputation is?
If you don’t, it could be hurting your job search. Nowadays, many employers rely on Google and social media searches to do free background checks on candidates. The sum of your social media and online presence constitutes what many career experts today call your “online reputation”.
Paying attention to what shows up when employers Google your name is essential for job seekers today. If employers find negative information related to your name, they may not call you in for an interview. Nearly 70% of employers told CareerBuilder in a recent survey they’ve found content that caused them not to hire a candidate.
So, what can job seekers do about it? The first step is to know what your online reputation is. Keeping tabs on your reputation is crucial, and so is learning ways to keep it clean and professional. Digital Reputation can help you manage your online reputation, discover ways to make it better, and how you can turn it into an asset.
If you don’t, it could be hurting your job search. Nowadays, many employers rely on Google and social media searches to do free background checks on candidates. The sum of your social media and online presence constitutes what many career experts today call your “online reputation”.
Paying attention to what shows up when employers Google your name is essential for job seekers today. If employers find negative information related to your name, they may not call you in for an interview. Nearly 70% of employers told CareerBuilder in a recent survey they’ve found content that caused them not to hire a candidate.
So, what can job seekers do about it? The first step is to know what your online reputation is. Keeping tabs on your reputation is crucial, and so is learning ways to keep it clean and professional. Digital Reputation can help you manage your online reputation, discover ways to make it better, and how you can turn it into an asset.
Enhance Your Professional Image
It is easier said than done when it comes to online reputation management for graduates and job seekers. You must be consistent when it comes to creating a professional image. A strong, creative, and elaborate digital profile will create a positive impression on recruiters. It means that your chances of getting hired increase if you improve your online reputation.
Google is the New Résumé in Town
It’s evident to most job seekers that employers will check their LinkedIn profile and other social media profiles. Having a great LinkedIn profile and a strong, professional social media presence is vital. However, some job seekers may forget that employers also take online research of candidates a step further. After receiving your résumé, many recruiters and hiring managers will also Google your name.
Career experts say the search results of your name make up your “Google résumé.” We all have one, and they’re becoming ever more important in the business world. If your search results are good, it could catapult you into a new job. But if they’re negative, you may not even get an interview.
In a survey conducted by ExecuNet, 90% of executive recruiters confirmed that “they type a candidate name into an online search engine to find more information beyond what is on the executive’s résumé”.
A common problem is someone else with your name shows up prominently in the results. This can lead to a case of mistaken identity. In most cases, someone else with your name will show up in your Google results. This can be bad for several reasons, including the person having an unprofessional image or being unqualified for the job you’re seeking. Career experts call this mistaken identity in online reputation management. Most employers may not put in enough time and effort to differentiate you from the other person. As a result, it’s critical that you choose the best version of your name for professional purposes.
It’s evident to most job seekers that employers will check their LinkedIn profile and other social media profiles. Having a great LinkedIn profile and a strong, professional social media presence is vital. However, some job seekers may forget that employers also take online research of candidates a step further. After receiving your résumé, many recruiters and hiring managers will also Google your name. Career experts say the search results of your name make up your “Google résumé.” We all have one, and they’re becoming ever more important in the business world. If your search results are good, it could catapult you into a new job. But if they’re negative, you may not even get an interview.
In a survey conducted by ExecuNet, 90% of executive recruiters confirmed that “they type a candidate name into an online search engine to find more information beyond what is on the executive’s résumé”.
A common problem is someone else with your name shows up prominently in the results. This can lead to a case of mistaken identity. In most cases, someone else with your name will show up in your Google results. This can be bad for several reasons, including the person having an unprofessional image or being unqualified for the job you’re seeking. Career experts call this mistaken identity in online reputation management. Most employers may not put in enough time and effort to differentiate you from the other person. As a result, it’s critical that you choose the best version of your name for professional purposes.
Tame the Mistaken Online Identity
As Kelli B. Grant recently wrote in her Wall Street Journal article “Meet Your Digital Doppelgänger,” such confusion “can inadvertently parachute people into their namesake’s lives, exposing them to everything from love notes to carpool reminders to sensitive business documents.” Being mistaken for or associated with high-profile figure can also have a drastic effect on your online image. Having a particularly unique name can often help one avoid such confusion, but that’s not always the case.
No matter who it is that shares your name, it can create problems when you are trying to build a strong online identity. It can be especially damaging if your namesake has a bad reputation. Even if one’s namesake hasn’t done anything particularly embarrassing or scandalous, mistaken identity can still be a significant issue. Even if you don’t share a name with someone else, distinguishing and fortifying your online reputation is a smart and valuable move.
Discover and manage your search results with Digital Reputation. Identify and mark the results that are related to you and those that aren’t. Digital Reputation provisions a Certificate containing your reputation results that you can attach with your job application documents. The Digital Reputation Certificate will allow the recruiter to strategically identify your unique digital imprint as you would have indicated for them.
Why Digital Reputation?
There are certain moments when your Online Reputation is more important than usual.
Applying to School
Applying for a New Job
Accepting a Leadership Role
Become a Verifier
Do you routinely use search engines like Google to conduct free online background checks on candidates?
For candidates, choosing a job is a very personal decision. It’s the start of an extremely impactful relationship, one that may define several – or many – years of their lives. For employers, it’s a critical business decision. But underlying that business decision is the crucial need for people, which makes the personal preferences of job seekers highly relevant to the business. Part of the problem lies in the recruitment process – how employers and candidates connect, communicate, set expectations, and make decisions. Or how they don’t. Often, employers do an internet search for candidates. Based on their findings, they may form perceptions and uncertainties about how to recruit them.
Who better to clarify those uncertainties and help companies improve their recruiting ROI than job candidates themselves?
Our Digital Reputation Certificate allows employers to validate first-hand uniquely identifiable search results as presented by their job seekers.
Online Reputation Management Is the New Reality
Even though you may be leading a perfect, blameless life, avoiding Facebook and other social media, and feel you have no reason to worry about what is online about you, you could well be wrong. No matter what stage of your career or life you’re currently in, someone is screening you online. Googling is a verb for a reason – we do it all the time. This is NOT “vanity Googling” but “defensive Googling”. Defensive Googling (including other search engines, too) is just the beginning of an online reputation management program. Don’t suspend it when you have found a new job. Mistaken online identity is a permanent risk for all of us, unless we have particularly unique names.
How It Works
Keyword Search
Sentiment Analysis
Certificate Generation
Monitoring
