As you work on your professional bios this week, you should also think about your online presence. Everything you put online has the potential to influence potential employers and colleagues. You probably already know that you should google your name to make sure there are no unfortunate messages found.
Today’s tutorial is included in the infographic (below) from a Swiss digital reputation management and security company. A related article, Protecting Your Online Reputation: 4 Things You Need to Know, is available from Mashable.
Steps 1 and 2 in the infographic explain why managing your online identity is important, and Steps 3 and 4 outline what you should do to ensure your online reputation helps you (rather than hurts you).
In addition to commenting on the ideas in the infographic, you can try some of the suggestions to find out what your online reputation is like and decide if you need to make changes. You can tell us what you find in the comments, if you like.
Note: This infographic has a transcript.
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Something I found surprising in today’s article was that it can be detrimental to not have any online presence at all. I have previously felt that I don’t really want to appear in any online searches, whether the results were positive or negative, because it felt like an invasion of privacy. I don’t think that my internship search has been hindered by not showing up in search results, but I could see how this could have an impact if you are applying for a job and you did not first interact with the company in person. I also was surprised to see that social media wasn’t a larger factor in the things that recruiters look at (only 63%).
I agree, I had no idea that not having a social media presence could be detrimental. However, I feel like if people at least just have a LinkedIn or another professional webpage is all you need to have somewhat of a social media presence if you don’t like Instagram and everything else.
I was also surprised to find that not having any digital presence could be a bad thing. Personally, I haven’t used Facebook or Twitter in years and never even touched Instagram. Upon searching my name in Google, the results came up blank; there was no mention of me on any of the sites listed. Normally I would consider this a good thing, but this info graphic makes it appear that such anonymity is not all that good. However, I would have to agree with Josh Detwiler in that I would much rather have no digital presence at all then a negative one. As Mariel Jastrebsky said, having a LinkedIn profile should be enough of a social media presence given our current position as students.
I feel like it’s rare these days to meet someone without a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. But I also don’t think having a Linkedin is enough–for many of us (at least myself), I only use it to update my professional life, whereas I think a recruiter is trying to get more of an idea of who you are. I think these attributes are found on sites that you interact with your friends, post pictures, and share articles. LinkedIn, I feel like, it more of an online resume where you say the places you’ve interned, and I doubt that’s what companies are really looking for, because they already have your resume. But, I still can’t decide after reading the materials if I think a complete LinkedIn profile with a large connection network would be enough to overcome the detriment of having no social media presence.
I’m in much the same boat as Alexander. I have actually avoided social media like Facebook and Twitter for years since it helps lead to procrastination (in my opinion anyways) and because I just simply do not like social media. I was always under the impression and in agreement with Mariel that when it comes down to job searching, having a LinkedIn should be sufficient enough. But this infographic makes me think otherwise. I’ve always heard about how “recruiters look you up on Facebook,” but never really believed such a larger percentage actually do.
It seems like these days most people like to share about what is going on in their lives online through social media such as: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, some people post photos and statuses after a night out of drinking a lot and to a future employer, that does not look professional at all. I found this article/infographic very important because it explained how to protect your reputation online and it gave some surprising statistics. I was surprised to learn that 78% of recruiters use a search engine to try to find out information about the person applying for the job. I thought this percentage would be closer to 50%, but I guess more and more recruits are relying on what they find online to help them see if the person is a good candidate.
When I searched for my name on a search engine, nothing came up for the web search, however for the images one photo did come up after scrolling down a little bit and it was my Twitter profile picture. I feel like all of my social media except for Twitter is super private so I won’t show up on search engines. Plus I already make sure that if I do not like a photo that a friend or family member took, I ask them to not put it up on social media. I make sure my accounts are secure to protect them from hackers getting on them. I never post my address on social media and on Facebook I have it so people only know the month and day I was born, not the year. However, I feel like there are ways to improve my reputation online and to protect my reputation from any harm.
I knew that a lot of online recruiters were always looking on social media with the infographic stating that 63% of recruiters look on your status. I didn’t realize that 8% of people have been fired for negative social media presence. I’ve heard stories of people talking about their bosses, however I never realized hat once you get hired your company still does check ups on you. Also, the more people you friend at work, the more easily they can track your every move which is why it’s especially important to not say anything about work on it. I’ve also never heard of SEO, but I will use that site to ensure that the articles about me that I like are the first to show up.
So I keep my Facebook and Instagram on private, and I also do not post any pictures only people tag me in photos. I also do not have a twitter or any extra social media, however when I googled my name so much popped up, even a Pinterest account I made when I was younger. I also found around 4 images of myself with my linkedIn picture being the first one. Seeing that all this information is online about me, I’m going to see ways that I can delete a lot of the information. None of it is bad, however I do not want someone to be able to find me that easily because I appreciate privacy. It’s also scary to see all the information out there about me when I’m only 21 and have not done a lot in social media.
This infographic post helped me realize the huge importance online reputations play in the career hiring process. Perceived online reputations by possible employers can make or break you when it comes to securing a job at their company. Employers wish to see that you are an individual that is professional in all aspects of life. They seem to have the in cling to check up on what you do and how you conduct yourself outside of work especially. This gives them an opportunity to see how mature of a person you truly are. Plus, they do not want the reputation of the whole company to be negatively impacted by indecent behavior.
I have multiple social media accounts and I always try my best to post pictures that are appropriate to the outside world. A good rule of thumb I try to follow is if I know my mother would not appreciate the picture, then I usually do not post it. Section 4 of this infographic supplied helpful information I could use if any future issues arose in regards to the professionalism of my social media accounts. I will continue to try my best to practice intelligent actions regarding my social media accounts.
I also found it surprising that having no online presence can be a red flag for future employers. I think the biggest takeaways I took from the infographic are to be vigilant about what people post about you and to give yourself a positive brand through the things you post. By the positive branding, future employers can have a better understanding of who you are, where your passions are, and how you would fit into their company.
This article was helpful and a little scary at the same time. I did not expect that some recruiters look at the potential employee’s SNS. It’s not that I built a really bad reputation online, but it was just scary because they don’t only care about my skills but also my personal life and behavior online. After reading through the article, I was going to set all my posts and pictures private or only available to my friends, but I think that would be a little suspicious to them if they would look at my SNS. I think I need to think more and act carefully even if it’s online from now on.
I always knew having a bad e-reputation was a red flag but I had no idea that having no online presence was detrimental. I understand that employers would want to know what you say and what’s being said about you, but I thought little to no presence was always a good sign. In this day and age it is safe to say there are more personal lives on the internet than there should be. Though only 8% of companies so far have fired people from abusing social media, I believe that number will rise.
I always find it interesting when Facebook gives me notifications from years ago, like the “on this day x years ago” because there are definitely pictures and status updates I posted when I was younger that I would probably not want future employers to see. Even though these posts were from 7 or so years ago, it just shows an unprofessional character and whenever items like those pop up, I delete them so there is no way an employer can scroll through my past and see those things. Unlike many others, I think not having social media is a huge red flag. I understand that some people do not like the ideas that get spread around social media, but in this day in age it is a very effective way to communicate quickly with others and stay connected. It does not take much to make a social media account, and it can be used as a professional median instead of a social median. Not having social media even a linkedIn, may show that the potential employee is not caught up to modern technology, or does not network well etc.
The point that stood out the most for me in this article was not having any social media nowadays can be just as harmful as posting unwise things on social media. I personally do not use social media a ton but I do keep up with facebook and am active on snapchat. When I put my name in the google search engine, nothing huge came up except articles from an honors society and an apologetics and rhetoric club that I used to be in.
I personally know some project managers and business owners and all of them browse through facebook and the internet before interviewing a potential employee. Another important aspect of social media that many people do not realize is the people who are your friends on facebook can ruin your reputation just as easily as you can. If a potential boss sees that the majority of your friends on facebook are irresponsible and post immature content, they’ll assume that you have a similar personality.
Like many others, the most interesting thing I found while reading this article was that not having a social media presence can be detrimental to your reputation as much as having a negative social media presence can. My guess as to why that is, is because if you’re that off the rid that you have virtually no information on social media then it might mean that employers won’t have enough information on you in order to make an informed decision about what type of employee you are.
The other thing that surprised me about this article was that only 8% of employers had fired someone for abusing social media. This was interesting to me mainly because I expected this number to be a little higher. People are always warning the younger generations that “the internet is forever” and I’m sure there are lots of people who have posted things they regretted on social media. To me this low percentage says one of two things: one – employers aren’t looking at our social media as much as we think they are or two – more people have their privacy settings on for social media making it harder for employers to access.
They didn’t explain why not having a presence online is detrimental. I entirely disagree with that. Employers would absolutely rather you see not online at all than having a negative presence online. Anonymity is far more desirable than negative popularity. I’m good at protecting my identity online. I have a couple images tagged with my name, but only in places where appropriate — a profile photo, a scholarship site, or an organization bio (I’m the webmaster of my robotics team).
That being said, I googled my name as suggested and found what I was expecting. I was surprised nothing from Facebook came up though. Rather, one of the leading results was my Twitter profile on an account I only touch to follow musicians. I even shared an album cover several months ago, and that came up too. Some other things included my robotics bio and a scholarship headshot photo. I don’t have much presence, but it’s overall positive rather than negative. It’s not nonexistent.
I wonder if this bio works for the assignment, haha. http://tekrobotics.com/officers/#historian
Check out our 404 page if you want a good laugh.
I definitely agree that negative social media can have a poor effect on your job perspectives. Some people think that this means they shouldn’t have any presence online. However, there are many instances where social media can help your career. A LinkedIn profile, for example, can be a great way to outline your strengths to a company in a more personal way. I was glad to see that this article described the positive impacts of social media as well as the negatives.
I definitely see why this article and info graphic are so important. People do not realize that when we post things online, it is extremely easy for employers to see. It still baffles me that some kids are so careless when it comes to posting things on their Facebook’s, Instagram’s, and other social media sites. I do believe that you can have positive impacts on social media sites, and when used properly they can benefit you greatly when trying to get employed. It is just important for people to realize what their online personality is.
This article reinforced my beliefs that social media is overall detrimental to one’s future career. Although social media can aide in communication and unity, many people abuse it and therefore create a negative impact on their online “reputation”. I have family in Vietnam and use social media like facebook and instagram to communicate with them. So it goes without saying that I see the good that social media can do. However, as the article stated, social media can often do more harm than good.
Growing up during the emergence of social media has been a very fascinating yet scary time. A majority of people our age have been on social media since middle school if not younger. People being introduced younger and younger have no real sense of the consequences of some of their actions on social media. This article makes me think that there should be a tutorial or class for young kids to learn about the seriousness of what you say or share on social media. I recently read an article about databases that stores everything that anyone has said on social media even if you deleted it seconds after posting. These databases can sell it to other people years down the road. Just goes to show that everyone needs to be mindful of what they say and be responsible on social media.
I actually had to look myself up online as a part of an assignment for my Computer and Network Security course. I honestly did not find much about myself, but now I’m worried that this could be detrimental to my online reputation. I typically try to share my LinkedIn profile with the companies that ask for it online. However, I do not update it as often as I should. I have also tried to increase my online reputation on Github where I share some of my personal code.
I definitely agree with all of the advice given above. In our society today, having an appropriate online image and reputation is now considered common knowledge, and I feel like if you don’t make an effort to create a good one there is not much forgiveness (such as not understanding or not being aware that might’ve been an excuse 5-10 years ago). I also have to comment on the presentation of this data–I found it really helpful to view it in the format presented, everything from the color scheme used to the little images here and there! Great post overall!
I do not find it too surprising that having no online presence can be a negative thing in the eyes of recruiters. in 2018, I think it is a bit suspicious if you do not have an online identity because of the dependence of communication in the modern world through the internet. I am very conscientious of what I post online. I obviously do not post pictures of partying or illegal substance. However, I still like to make sure my personality is apparent in my online identity. I am not afraid to voice my opinions which I realize may come back to haunt me in the job search. However, if a company disagrees with my ideals and rejects me based on evidence of me expressing these ideals online, I do not want to be a part of that company anyway.
I google searched myself in an incognito window in order to avoid the bias of my search history or any accounts I am currently logged into. I was surprised to find little evidence of myself online. I am pretty active online and only appeared once on the first page. I was the seventh image to come up but then I did not see anymore. I used both online iterations of my name: my first, middle and last name and just my first and last name. Neither produced direct results to my accounts.
This was a great infographic. A real eye opener for me. I always thought that employers checking out potential employee’s social presence was a myth. One thing that I appreciate about this infographic is not only does it tell you how important your online identity is, but also outlines steps to make sure you have a decent online reputation.
Compared to many of my peers, the first social media that I encountered was MySpace which was launched in August 2003 when I was entering the 7th grade. Since then, my opinion of social media has altered significantly. From the time I created my first social media presence until about my second year of college I did not think too critically about how my online appearance could affect my future. However, as I began to search for internships this information was brought to my attention and I began to monitor what I posted and what I was tagged in much more closely. Even to this day I monitor my Facebook profile through daily “On This Day” posts by deleting or changing privacy settings, especially with graduation quickly approaching.
I have also tried to Google myself as mentioned in this post. However, I have fairly common surname and a not-so-uncommon first name, which results in a lot of search results, most of which do not pertain to me.
Overall, I believe that as I have gotten older I have also realized that it is not necessary to share every piece of personal information online and how, by doing so, it could actually be detrimental. In general, I prefer to post and comment less frequently to avoid any potential issues in the future as I could end up in a position where I will be looking and applying for other jobs. Not to mention that a negative online presence could result in termination from my current position.
I disagree that not having social media is detrimental to your career. It should be on a case-by-case basis. For jobs such as marketing or event managing, social media is definitely a great tool to boost your career. But for jobs in fields such as cyber security, I think employers would like the fact that it is impossible or hard for them to find their employees’ profiles. LinkedIn is the one social media tool that I think only has good benefits to your career, and no negative ones. At the end of the day, I don’t think employers should worry about their employees’ social media presence. As long as they are not representing their company in any negative way, people should be free to post as they’d like on their social media.
This infographic was very informative, however, I believe most of it is common sense. I think a majority of people looking for jobs have a good understanding of what to post and what not to post online. Although It is the friends of these individuals that tag them in photos or posts that could be damaging to their reputation. This post also mentioned how not having social media or a presence on line could be damaging, In some cases I believe this to be true. Some companies may find it concerning; if your resume is all the information they have about you, they may be hesitant to hire.
This was a very interesting infographic. It had a lot of information on it that was new to me. For example, I didn’t know that having zero social media presence could be seen as a bad thing to employers. I don’t really worry much about my own social media presence because I only rarely use social media, but there’s a lot of people out there with the same name as me so sometimes I worry employers will look me up and find the wrong person, potentially someone who has a poor presence on social media. But after reading this article, I definitely think that I want to get a LinkedIn because I think it would open me up to more job opportunities.
This article was a great eye-opener for myself. I have always made sure to keep a good presence on social media, regardless of my intentions, keeping in mind that the way I am perceived online is very important. I found two things very shocking:
1. That a vast majority of recruiters will use social media at some point throughout the onboarding process. I think that this shows that it is definitely worth it to keep up a good social media presence.
2. That it can be a detriment to not have an internet presence at all. I figured that not having an internet presence would show that the person has not chosen that form of entertainment, which I would find respectable.
I’ve listened to a lot of professional development talks and they all have highlighted the significance of a strong online presence. Something that they have stressed, which this article barely touched on, is that you should create your a personal brand for yourself using your online presence. This means could be sharing articles on Facebook that are relevant to your career field, joining groups networking groups with members who are important in your industry, or even blogging. Employers will recognize your brand and be more likely to hire you. The infographic says 48% of recruits refer to personal websites, but I bet that percentage is even higher. Having an excellent professional presence is not only useful during the application process but it also make you more likely to he recruited. Employers can learn more about you without having your resume on them.
I find this post very helpful because it highlights a major problem that the modern society/generation is facing. It seems our modern generation has been blessed with easy internet access. However, the majority, especially the young ones like us, tend to take advantage of the resources we have and misuse it. Most people feel like it is okay to post everything online. I do not personally blame them though because they have not been educated about how social media posts can affect one’s life. I did not actually know this until I had a social media education during my first internship.
I have a family member who is a senior recruiter for a top company, and he always talk about how he researches people’s social media contents before granting them interviews. The articles talks about posting positively and avoiding the negativeness. I totally agree with that. However, if one is a bit skeptical about the impacts of certain posts, then the best option is to stay away from posting it altogether. We have to be always mindful of everything we put out there because it can later block certain opportunities.