Employers are Googling you. Do you know what they are finding?
Recently a colleague shared a very scary story about one of her clients that many job seekers should know about because recent research has shown that this is very likely not an uncommon event.
My colleague prepared a very professional resume for her client which he used in several months of job hunting.
After absolutely NO response to resume submissions in 4 months, they decided to Google him to see if something there might be causing a problem. BINGO!
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Someone with the same name was involved in a US Supreme Court obscenity case! This job seeker had a serious reputation management problem, and he’s NOT alone!
He was not the person named in the obscentiy case, but it didn’t matter. Someone who didn’t know him wouldn’t know the difference.
However, his reputation management issue was managed successfully. Here’s how:
More about Online Reputation Management:
Defensive Googling: Find (& Fix) What Could Be Sabotaging Your Job Search
Defensive Googling: 5 Steps to Minimize Mistaken Online Identity
5 Ways You Look Out of Date in Your Job Search
Monitor Your Online Reputation with Google Alerts
Guide to Using Google for Job Search
Microsoft Digital Reputation Study
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About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.
Susan, good post. I would like to add a stat. A recent US survey revealed that 70% of HR managers have admitted to have rejected an applicant over information found online.
Thanks
Arjun Anand
http://www.veristlabs.com
This story is becoming more and more common and is similar to the story of the two Yale Law students who had defamatory and false information posted about them on the web. They encountered the same issue getting interviews.
This case study covers what is needed. I shudder to think what is going to happen to the 20 somethings who do not seem to understand the impact their “open” communication in social media may have on their future job prospects.
I recently Googled the name of a 21 year old family friend who is looking for a job as she asked for my help. Almost everything that showed up for her name had the F word in it as when she was in college just a year ago that was considered okay. For the most part none of it can be taken down now.
Scary stuff and something that everybody should be paying attention to.
Great post. Your slide show presents concrete steps job searchers can use to establish their online reputation or to counter negative online information about themselves. I have friends and loved ones who’ve had digital dopplegangers ruin job prospects, too.
As a graduate student studying online reputation management, I’ve discovered in my research that not only do people not search for themselves, but employers do and they find information because people don’t use even the most elemental privacy settings in their social networks.
Employers can also find information from data brokers, which for as little as $4.95 will sell your personal information to a prospective employer. Data brokers collect and sell your personal data gathered from public records, such as court records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, property records, arrest records, and voting records. Typically data broker file information includes full name, marital status, physical address, address history, telephone numbers, and how much is owned on mortages and can even include your childrens’ ages. Data brokers compile these in-depth digital dossiers of personal information without permission from you. In fact, most consumers have never heard of the existence of these companies, can’t name them by name, are unaware how much of their personal information is maintained and how frequently it is disseminated by these companies, and don’t know whether they can opt-out of this information dissemination. ONE IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT DATA BROKERS: they have errors in their files, too. And, it takes a gargantuan effort to correct those errors.
So, while online reputation management on social networking sites is one piece of the puzzle, in my research and personal experience I’ve found that job searchers also need to check the data broker files for erroneous information to make sure that they are not being harmed by information in those files.
Check http://www.privacyrights.org/online-information-brokers-list for a list of data brokers.
Cheers,
Kathleen Bobrowski
claimmyid.com
Thanks for the comment and the information, Kathleen! Very enlightening – and scary!
The Microsoft Privacy Study referenced (and linked) in the article shows how much research employers are doing and HOW LITTLE job seekers worry about that!
I think this mismatch between what employers are seeing vs. what job seekers are watching is impacting – and dragging out – the job search for thousands, maybe millions, of people who just aren’t paying attention.
It’s very interesting to see what information brokers are providing as well – anyone who has had an error in their credit report knows how difficult this is to resolve. With Google free and so readily available, I bet more damage is done via Google than through the information brokers. But, I bet the information broker reports impact the hiring decisions – employers are probably more willing to pay for the reports when they are at the point of choosing who gets the job offer.
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