When you send in your resume and go for a job interview, you assume that potential employers call your previous workplaces and alma maters to verify your background. However, they also glean facts about you by searching for your traces online. This is becoming more common for all positions. So you want to be sure that your online persona matches what you present in your resume and interview.
It is best to start cleaning up your Internet trails before you even start looking for a job. Here are a few places you can start:
Set up a Google Alert for your name. The search engine send you an email whenever your name appears in its results, such as a web page or news report.
Use search engines to look for information about you online. If you find anything that doesn’t present you in the best light or is wrong, contact the owner of the website to get the information corrected or removed.
Go through your social pages and remove any pictures of drunken revelries, diatribes against your former employer, or any posts that presents you in an unflattering light. Do not simply set the privacy options of these items to Friends Only. Your potential employer may ask you to friend them just so they can see these pages. You’re well within your rights to refuse, but that makes them wonder what you have to hide.
Make sure that online resumes or facts that you’ve posted, such as on LinkedIn or job search sites match the resume you send in. Even a small discrepancy like dates, skill level, or background can arouse suspicions about your accuracy and truthfulness.
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