According to a recent survey of 100 executive recruiters done by ExecutNet, 77 percent of recruiters reported using search engines to find background data on candidates. Of that number, 35 percent eliminated a candidate because of what they found online. StarTribune.com
What comes up when you search your name via Google? Your search engine results page (SERP) might be just as important as your printed resume. There’s lots of talk around about protecting your personal brand and how important it is to manage your Facebook profile. This is another variation on that theme.
Online repuation is not just a matter of limiting what you put on line, but being very deliberate about what you share and how you position yourself as a young professional. You will be Googled, why not have the results be intentional?
Having a strong online presence is important. If you don’t participate in social media, that doesn’t mean you’re safe from would-be Googlers. What if a less-than-savvy classmate posts something critical about you as a teammate on his profile or blog? Or another friend tags you in an embarrassing photo? If that’s your only “digital footprint,” then that’s what you will be judged on. Neither is intentional on your part or a deliberate management of your repuation, right?
Some tips to creating and managing your digital footprint:
- Know what’s out there. Do a search for your name. If you have a common name, add modifiers such as your state or university. If you wanted to find you online, how would you do it?
- Maintain an accurate and professional Facebook profile. You don’t have to scrub your personality out of your profile – in fact, don’t! Social media is about being transparent and authentic. But hopefully your authentic self has something to share besides beer pong photos.
- Consider your presence on other social networking sites like MySpace, PROpenMic, LinkedIn or others. Of these, PROpenMic and LinkedIn should be helpful to building a professional presence, but every time you upload a picture, or fill out a profile, be conscious of how you’re changing your digital footprint.
- Blog. If your classes aren’t requiring that you blog, start one on your own. I have lots of blogging tips on my delicious.com page to get you started. But blogging can be a great way to affect your SERP, but also gives your practice writing, thinking about issues and trends related to your topic and can serve as an online portfolio.
- Remember that email, comments and blog posts are forever. For-ev-er. Think before you type.
What other tips do you have? If you Google yourself, what comes up in the results? How did that information get there?
Photo via Flickr by SOCIALisBETTER
Comments
6 responses to “Your Search Engine Results are as Important as Your Resume”
Great suggestions Kelli-
This is definitely advice that I talk with my peers about. Grads, and soon-to-be grads who are in the digital world need to aware of how they can make a positive lasting impression with their digital footprint. One can do this through participating in online conversations, whether it be on PRopenMic or commenting on a blog.
Although, I do feel that generation-y needs to fully understand that the Internet is an extremely public venue. To be sharing your online journal and posting the pictures on Facebook and MySpace of you overly intoxicated (even over the age of 21) can definitely get you into some trouble with future employers!
Just make sure your digital footprint doesn’t turn into digital dirt!
What comes up when I Google “Beth Evans University of Oregon”? Blog, Technorati, LinkedIn, Xing, among others. What surprised me were results 2 and 3: the PDF of a concert program from March 2005 when I was in the Oregon Symphonic Band and an Oregon Daily Emerald article for which I was interviewed. It’s a little scary how easily people can learn of my college extracurriculars that aren’t even on my resume.
“Beth Evans gallery assistant” yielded almost entirely different results, including my Twitter profile. My FriendFeed and PROpenMic profiles showed up in neither search.
Beth, that is interesting! Good point about extra curriculars. I have a fairly uncommon name, so most of the results that come up with you google “Kelli Matthews” are me (there’s also a competitive swimmer with my name, but fortunately, she’s no Michael Phelps!).
In my top 10 is a very old resume from my undergrad days (I should figure out how to remove that!). And number 10 relates to my recent crisis work. Otherwise, all top 10 are things very intentional and deliberate.
Staci, great advice! I hope you can continue to share your tips with your peers. I think students are starting to get it.
One thing I did to strengthen my online presence was build my own Web site.
I also get my name out there as a writer.
I just Googled by name with my university. I found CMU’s Dean’s List, my blog, an academic paper I put on scribd.com, my LinkedIn and articles I have written for other newspapers and companies.
Kelli:
This post is chocked full of great information and worthy guidance.
You rock.
Les
Kelli:
This post is chocked full of great information and worthy guidance.
You rock.
Les