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Clean Up Your Digital Dirt
Photo by Bucklava
The blog, Satisfying Career – Happier Life offers some resources for those who have unsavory information in their digital footprint. According to the blog, a report in careerbuilder.com, says that hiring managers checked out job candidates online and discovered these discrepancies:
- 31% lied about qualifications
- 24% were linked to criminal behavior
- 19% bad-mouthed their former company
- 19% boasted about drinking and doing drugs
- 15% shared confidential information from former employers
- 11% posted provocative photographs
- 8% used an unprofessional screen name
I’ve written before about the dangers of mixing too much personal information in your online profile that potential employers will find if they “Google” you. I’ve also suggested that you check your online profile frequently and set a “Google Alert” so you can keep up with what is posted online that is tied to your name.
Satisfying Career, Happier Life suggests these services to help control your digital dirt:
- Reputation Defender: Find out everything that’s being said about you online and get rid of the content you don’t like.
- Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) – Displace – push down – the negative listings with favorable ones and ones that you can control or influence.
- DefendMyName - Suppress negative Search Engine Listings about you or your company.
These resources may be useful, but you don’t want to be in the position of worrying about whether or not unsavory pictures or trash talking could have cost you an interview or a job. Be careful what you put online and you’ll never have to find out how well or quickly these services work!
Need a new job? Keppie Careers will write your resume and help you every step of the way.
I found this post extremely helpful, I must admit. I am currently scanning through the websites recommended. Online character assassination is bloody awful and the current blogosphere has breeded a faceless culture of defamation and lawless freedom. Free speech is something I respect and am grateful for living in a society which respects it, but online it is a liberal luxury that has been manipulated and exploited for its most malicious gains.
I would not be surprised to see some drastic changes to the internet for these reasons. More so to protect businesses than people.