Before jumping headfirst into your job search, take a moment to Google yourself. While this advice might sound a little strange, it’s an important step in figuring out what information about you is on the internet.
Imagine you’re all set for an interview with a company you’re excited about. You feel confident and prepared until the hiring manager suddenly says, “I came across some of your old social media posts. Can you explain this?”
Suddenly, that perfect opportunity to impress your potential employer no longer seems so perfect. Cleaning up your online presence is one of the first—and easiest—steps to put your best foot forward in the job market.
Your online presence is more than just your social media posts and photos; it shows who you are, what you value, and what you could bring to a job. In today’s world, your online image can speak for you before you even have the opportunity to speak for yourself in an interview. You’re in control of your digital identity, and how you present yourself online can either help or hurt your job prospects.
This guide will walk you through how to fix your online reputation so you can land your dream job.
What is a Digital Footprint?
Your digital footprint is the unique trail of information you leave behind when you use the internet. This includes online activity from social media posts, comments, and photos to websites you’ve visited to online purchases. It could even extend to your email activity. Essentially, it’s your online presence — what people can find about you online.
While it may seem impossible to disappear from the digital world entirely, you can bolster your online reputation by managing the information that’s accessible about you online.
How Can I Manage My Online Presence?
Maintaining a positive digital footprint involves presenting yourself favorably and leveraging your presence to your advantage. There are several ways to do this.
1. Monitor Accounts
The best way to ensure your social media accounts cast you in a positive light is to monitor them regularly. Your social media presence can reveal a lot about who you are, and the last thing you’ll want is for your personal life to ruin your career prospects. You will want to keep text and images that compromise your integrity, professionalism, or values off the internet.
2. Keep Profile Pictures Professional
Your profile picture should make a strong first impression and capture you at your best. Does it show you as approachable, responsible, and ready to be hired? If not, then now is the time to change it.
3. Minimize Internet Presence
Limit your online presence by focusing only on the accounts serving your personal and professional goals.
Consider deactivating accounts you may have used several years ago but are no longer relevant to your life. Deleting these accounts prevents them from being hacked and creates a more curated digital footprint.
Next, focus on cleaning up the accounts you already use. This includes deleting compromising photos, captions, comments, and posts, including those shared to friends’ accounts. Before posting anything, consider how it might appear to potential employers. Generally, remove embarrassing photos or controversial posts from your profiles.
4. Manage Privacy Settings
Be proactive in managing your online reputation by controlling what information other people can access. Set your personal accounts to “private” and review them from the point of view of a prospective employer. Will they view you as an asset to their company or a liability?
5. Use Professional Social Media Handles
During your job search, your online presence should work for you, not against you. Ensure your handles are professional before engaging with prospective employers or co-workers on social channels. A safe bet is always some variation of your name—informative and to the point.
6. Update LinkedIn
A prospective employer will almost certainly check out your LinkedIn profile before setting a meeting. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s resume-building and networking opportunities by completing your profile and using the app to stay updated on industry trends and chatter relevant to your interview.
7. Remove/Suppress Negative Content
In today’s world, Google might know more about you than your best friend. And its search results might not always cast you in the best light. You can ask Google to remove specific content from their search results (not the internet) by filling out a Personal Removal Request Form to justify needing the information removed from search results. But be aware that it’s notoriously difficult to get Google to take down information, and even if they do, the process can be slow.
Depending on the quality and quantity of questionable content that is searchable online, consider working with a personal online reputation management company. They can create positive content that will burnish your online image. As this fresh content ascends the rankings, the less-favorable stuff will move lower and lower in the rankings until it is difficult to find.
Conclusion
Managing your internet reputation is crucial in today’s digital world. Post with discretion, considering whether you might regret sharing later. Keep your accounts as private as possible and maintain a professional and friendly demeanor when interacting with others online.