Heres Why You Should Google Yourself Before Starting Your Job Search - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Heres Why You Should Google Yourself Before Starting Your Job Search - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. Getting ready to conduct a new job search? Theres another type of search you may want to do first! Google is the most powerful search engine in the world, so its no surprise how powerful it is. Companies are rethinking how they evaluate candidates, and are now utilizing social media in addition to more traditional background checks. Furthermore, hiring managers are discovering just how much a quick Google search can uncover. Its important for you to do that search first, and find out what information about you is available online.   Searching For Social Media The best way to start is by searching your name, and the city you live in. Look through the search results, and see what comes up! Ideally, one of the first links should be your LinkedIn profile. A well optimized and updated profile will rank high on Google, so make sure you keep your profile current. You will likely also find address books and reference listings, which are common results. These are all fine! What you really want to keep your eye out for is anything that may make you look bad as a candidate. Perhaps it will link back to your old MySpace page, which is horribly out of date. Or maybe it pulls up your Instagram feed, which may have one too many happy hour photos for a potential employer to be looking at. Thankfully, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all have options to keep your account private. Just keep in mind, Twitters privacy setting isnt retroactive- all of your old tweets will still be visible. Facebook also has a unique setting. It asks, Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?, and checking no will keep your account from showing up on Google. Just keep in mind employers could still find you directly. The Power of Google You will also get results not associated with any social media. Awards or honors you received and societies you belong to all typically show up in search results, which is great! This can give you some peace of mind as opposed to social media, which may be less professional. One other common result is events you have attended. Many newspapers will cover events, and take names from attendees, so its not uncommon to be found that way. Clicking through the first few pages of search results should give you a good idea of what a hiring manager would find. By now you should have a good idea of your digital footprint. While many job seekers think to examine their social media, oftentimes they forget the power of a quick Google search. By doing this search, you now have more control over your perception online. You also know what a hiring manager can expect to find, should they do the same. Definitely a smart choice before beginning a job search!