In a digital age, having nothing listed in Google is the equivalent of wearing an invisibility cloak; that may work for Harry Potter, but it doesn’t do anything to help a job-seeker whose main priority is being found.

It may surprise candidates who make a habit of protecting their online privacy stringently to know that a Google search fails to reveal results. Someone who wants to learn about a candidate and finds no obvious results may be inclined to use search tools that offer access to the “deep Web,”or “invisible Web.” Pipl.com—a site that provides such access, explains, “The term ‘deep web’ refers to a vast repository of underlying content, such as documents in online databases that general-purpose web crawlers cannot reach. The deep web content is estimated at 500 times that of the surface web, yet has remained mostly untapped due to the limitations of traditional search engines.”

There are two types of information available online: data posted by a candidate, and things someone else posts about him or her. Think of the former as a “digital footprint” and the latter as a “digital shadow.” Don’t let a shadow dictate what employers will find out. Why? Because it gives control to someone else, which can be dangerous.

For example, Patrick Ambron, the chief executive officer and co-founder of BrandYourself.com, shared a story about Cody, who was applying to law schools without success. A Google search of his name revealed a post created by an ex-girlfriend that contained embarrassing, unflattering comments. Since Cody didn’t have other information online to combat one person’s vendetta against him, admissions officers were left with questions about his character.

Even if a job-seeker has no enemies, it does not prevent an unflattering digital shadow from clouding his candidacy. It’s not uncommon to share a name with other people. When this happens online, it is known as a “digital doppelganger.” Some people find themselves unwittingly implicated by unflattering accounts about their doppelgangers.

For example, one highly qualified job-seeker received no replies to his applications. After consulting with an online-savvy friend who suggested he Google his own name, the job-seeker found out that his digital doppelganger was charged with murder. Any prospective hiring manager could find this information, but nothing about the job-seeker. It wasn’t until he created a social resume using HisName.com and filling in his own professional information that he began to land interviews. Upon greeting him, the job-seeker’s first interviewer said, “So, I guess you’re not the murderer.”

So what can someone do to regain control of an unflattering or nonexistent online identity? Ambron suggests these five steps:

1. Google yourself. This is crucial, because it’s impossible to know what could negatively affect your reputation. Ambron explains, “Most people find that the top search results for their name fall into three categories: negative, irrelevant, and ‘Hey, that’s not me.'” All three of these results can damage someone’s reputation.

2. Claim your domain name and build a personal website.

3. Set up profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

4. Do some basic search engine optimization.

5. Sign up for alerts.

Read the whole post on my U.S. News & World Report column

photo by cjsimmons

The post Painless ways to control your online reputation appeared first on Keppie Careers.

This may surprise candidates who make a habit of protecting their privacy so stringently online that a Google search reveals no results at all. Privacy is important, but someone who wants to learn something about a candidate and finds no obvious results may be inclined to search tools offering access to the “deep web,” also known as the “invisible web.” Pipl.com, one site providing access to this content, explains, “The term ‘deep web†refers to a vast repository of underlying content, such as documents in online databases that general-purpose web crawlers cannot reach. The deep web content is estimated at 500 times that of the surface web, yet has remained mostly untapped due to the limitations of traditional search engines.”

There are two types of information available online: data posted by a candidate and things someone else posts about him or her. Think of the former as a “digital footprint” and the latter as a “digital shadow.” Donâ€t let a shadow dictate what employers will find out about you.  Why? It gives control to someone else, which can be dangerous in some cases.

For example, Patrick Ambron, CEO of BrandYourself.com, shared a story about Cody, who was applying to law schools without success. It turns out, the very first result in a Google search of his name revealed a post created by an ex girlfriend containing embarrassing, unflattering comments about Cody. Since he did not have other information online to combat one personâ€s vendetta against him, admissions officers were left with questions about his character.

What can someone do to regain control of an unflattering or non-existent, online identity? Ambron suggests the following five steps:

1. Google yourself. This is crucial, because itâ€s impossible to know what could possibly negatively affect a reputation otherwise.

2. Claim your domain name and build a personal website. Owning Yourname.com and other versions of a personal URL, such as YourName.org or YourName.com will help put control of an online identity in a jobseekerâ€s hands.

3. Set up profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Ideally, capture online “handles,” or user names that include your actual name.

4. Do some basic search engine optimization. In addition to using your own name wherever possible in online monikers, Ambron reminds job seekers to be sure to “Link all your various pieces of online content to one another. 

5. Sign up for alerts. Itâ€s important to keep up-to-date on what Google indexes that could affect you. Ambron suggests setting a Google alert, which will send an email when your name  (or someone with the same name) ­appears in a news article or blog post.

Read the entire post, with all of the tips, on my U.S. News & World Report blog.

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