We are probably all vulnerable to mistaken online identity, unless we have a really unusual name. And it is a serious online reputation management issue, probably a larger problem than most people know.
In January, 2011, it would have been terrible to be named Jared Loughner and be looking for a job right now. Jared Lee Loughner’s name and image dominating the media spread across the media as the shooter of (now former) Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And the name Loughner is going to be in Google associated with this horrible event forever.
A good portion of personal branding is personal marketing, and that’s good. However, if your name is Jared Loughner, but you are not THAT Jared Loughner, how do you handle this situation?
This is an online reputation management crisis for everyone named Loughner, even if you aren’t related to him.
Don’t Relax – You’re Not “Safe” Either
The media does a good job, usually, of making sure that they use the complete name of the accused in most situations. Stories about the Arizona shooter immediately referred to him as “Jared Lee Laughner” just like you always see President Kennedy’s assassin’s name as “Lee Harvery Oswald” – not just “Lee Oswald.” Bet he was known as “Lee Oswald” and very few people knew his middle name.
Media usage of middle names provides us all with a lesson these days. Have you Googled yourself recently?
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Unfortunately, being negatively impacted by name confusion is NOT limited to people named Jared Loughner or Lee Oswald.
I’ve seen situations where a job seeker was impacted by the bad online reputation of someone else with the same name! A recruiter or employer Googles the applicant’s name, finds “digital dirt” associated with the name (without knowing for sure the dirt belongs to this applicant), and moves on to the next applicant.
Without doing more, time-consuming research, the employer or recruiter won’t know that the bad stuff they found is not your stuff!
So, “guilt” by associated name, not by actual association!
Everyone – because we’ll all probably be job seekers at some point – needs to:
1. Develop a unique version of your name.
Research to develop a unique version of their “name” that is used “in public.” I recommend adding a middle initial, perhaps even a middle name.
For example:
- “James Earl Jones” – wouldn’t be very distinctive (or memorable) as “Jim Jones” – and there is certainly some “digital dirt” associated with the name “Jim Jones. But “James Earl Jones” is completely different.
- “Sarah Jessica Parker” is a distinctive name – much more unique than either “Sarah Parker” or “Jessica Parker.”
2. Stay aware of what is happening in association with that public name.
And with very similar names. Google (and “Bing”) your name periodically. It’s not vanity – it’s important for self-defense and for managing your personal reputation!
I recommend Google Alerts as a quick and easy solution for long-term monitoring – as long as you understand its limitations (see More Information below).
- If something bad surfaces about someone else with the same name, find a way to address it in your existing online profiles and other visibility (resumes posted on various job sites, etc.), possibly even in a cover letter or blog post.
- Emphasize your location or your profession or your age or something else that clearly differentiates you from the bad guy or gal.
- Include a good head shot of yourself in your profiles - not one so “smooth” and perfect that it looks like you bought it from iStockPhoto, but a good one that is definitely of you.
More Information:
- 5 Ways to Use Google Alerts for Your Job Search
- Unlocking a Successful Job Search with Online Reputation Management
- 2009 Microsoft Privacy Study
Bottom Line:
So, if your name isn’t Jared Loughman, be very happy that you don’t have that image to fight right now. Unfortunately, no one is guaranteed a “clean” name for life, so start to build your distinctive name now. Then monitor it, and keep it clean in the future.
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About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joycehas 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.
Great points Susan! I had someone in one of my job search classes whose name was the same as a producer of porn films in Los Angelas. He would bring it up proactively in a light-hearted way in job interviews to make sure they knew it wasn’t him!
Being even more proactive and creating a more distinguishable name in all your online activity is even better.
Thanks for addressing an important issue!
Harry
Thank you, Harry! This issue surprises so many people. How excellent that your client knew about this name confusion – because so many people don’t know they have a problem – and he could handle it with humor.
Excellent post, Susan! You bring up many important points, as usual.
Even if you have an unusual name, and feel you’re safe from being confused with someone else with your name, you need to continuously work on building a vibrant online presence and safeguarding your online reputation. All the more reason, if you have the same name as a criminal or someone of ill-repute!
As you’re building your online footprint, incorporate these components in the information you put out there about you — relevance, quality, diversity, volume and consistency.
Readers should note that you include your middle initial “P” in your name, across your online and real-life communications, to distinguish yourself from the many other Susan Joyce’s out there.
Meg Guiseppi
Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert — http://www.job-hunt.org/personal-branding/meg-guiseppi.shtml
Thank you for the great comment, Meg!
Yes, given all the people named “Susan Joyce” (including two others in my husband’s extended family), I need to try to be different, and my middle initial seems to be helping me with that right now.
Currently, many people confuse being invisible online with being “safe.” And, it just doesn’t work that way any more! Nearly 80% of employers research job applicants these days – “always” or “most of the time” according to a late 2009 Microsoft reputation study. So, if an employer can’t find something about an applicant online, I think that – these days – they tend to wonder what’s wrong. Isn’t the person using the Internet? Are they behind the times? Not tech- or net-savvy? So, not savvy in other things important to successfully doing business today?
The days of being invisible are over for anyone who wants a career, or even “just a job,” and anyone who runs a business.
Thank you, again, Meg. Great points! This is why you are Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert!
So true that having an online presence is no longer optional, especially if you’re a job seeker, but also for overall healthy career management.
I still find that some of my c-level executive job search clients are afraid to “put themselves out there” online, and are even hesitant about having a LinkedIn profile, although that’s happening less often these days.
I tell them that, without as strong an online footprint as their competitors, they may be overlooked, or not even noticed. As you said, hiring authorities have to wonder about candidates who can’t be found online.
Of course, they can remain invisible, and only focus their job search on off-line activities, but they’ll likely be missing a goldmine of opportunities to position themselves in front of the very recruiters and hiring decision makers who could get them into the jobs they seek.
Best,
Meg
[...] the search engines? Here’s what online job search expert Susan P. Joyce suggests in her post, What If Your Name Is Jared A. Loughner? • If something bad surfaces about someone else with the same name, find a way to address it in [...]
Excellent points, Meg! Perhaps for a few people (spies?), being invisible is preferable, but not for the rest of us.
In the introduction to the new “LinkedIn for Job Search” section of Job-Hunt, I mentioned the similar response people seem to often have – that being invisible is good. So wrong!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Susan P. Joyce, Amy Neumann charity and DBE, James D'Ambrosio. James D'Ambrosio said: RT @JobHuntOrg: What to do if a Google search for your name shows someone else: http://ow.ly/3Mm3N #jobsearch [...]