Tulika Tripathi
With more employers using social networking sites and
Google search to check out job applicants , it's more important than ever for jobseekers to manage their online reputation. Your online profile, which includes Facebook or LinkedIn pages, presents an image of you to a range of audiences. It is, therefore, critical to ensure that you create a good impression on anyone who discovers you online.
CONTENT Be conscious of what you are sharing online as web content is permanent. Always assume that your comments will be seen by a wide range of people. Be aware of the impression that photos, comments, tweets and updates may have, and manage them to avoid being perceived as irresponsible or unprofessional.
PRIVACY SETTINGS Review your settings to limit the exposure of your personal information. Most photo-sharing and social networking sites allow you to set restrictions on who can view and comment on your content, so check privacy settings to ensure that the things you share are accessible only to a suitable audience. However, remember that information shared online could be made accessible to others without your consent.
PUBLIC VS PRIVATE If you are using social media for both personal (family/friends) and professional (networking with colleagues) purposes, ensure what you share is appropriate for both groups. Are you comfortable with your current and potential employers reading your personal updates? Are you happy subjecting friends to work-related posts? If you want to keep your public and private lives separate, set up distinct personal and professional social networking accounts.
MONITOR In addition to carefully managing your own disclosures, you also need to monitor others' comments to prevent unintentionally harmful content from being posted about you. For example, being tagged in unflattering photos or videos by your friends, or having insalubrious comments written about you, is information that you would definitely not want a potential employer to view.
BUILD ONLINE PRESENCE Think about taking a proactive approach to managing what information is readily available online to potential employers. In other words, actively build and develop a professional online presence yourself. Update your profile on LinkedIn and use it as a proactive networking tool. Another useful way to do this is by setting up a professional blog or Twitter handle to establish your expertise. Join an online industry association and engage with its members through the website. Become a regular contributor to respected industry forums or use your networks and offer to contribute content or a guest blog. Increasing the professional content about you on the web will help build a positive and authoritative online image as well as a personal brand.
