Maintaining your online image these days is vital. After all, how we are perceived could be half the battle. If our image is positive, we could land clients, jobs, promotions, or even step up the corporate ladder. However, if we have a negative image, our entire professional livelihood could go down the drain. Further, the more casually we lead our lives online, the greater the chances we will be judged for the content on our pages, original or not.
Though it may not be your first priority, your online reputation is important for continued success. Here are a few reasons why:
Employers are looking for you online. As a job seeker, it’s even more important to be in tune with your online reputation. Employers are looking for you online. Surprised? Don’t be. In fact, a recent survey of recruiters indicated that 89% are using social media to find candidates. So, this means that although you may not believe that you are being scoped out through your social networks, the likelihood that you are is pretty high.
What can you do to make you sure you are as attractive as possible to employers? Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter, HR professional or employer and think about catering your platforms to them. For example, you could complete your LinkedIn profile (with particular attention spent on your accomplishments), tweet about events or news in your industry, and try to keep your Facebook activity to mainly positive posts. That way, should you be researched, the employer won’t have to think twice about what kind of candidate you are.
It’s easy to forget to censor what we post. There are times when we get caught up in the social networking phenomenon and forget that employers are watching. Additionally, we don’t always check to see what other people are saying on our pages or delete posts that might reflect poorly on us. It’s important to think about what you or what other people are posting before it’s made completely public.
Say you are an employer looking up a candidate. They look great on paper, have tons of experience, and shining testimonials. However, when you look them up online, you find that they not only post less-than-stellar updates, photos and news, but also have a network that doesn’t think before they post, either. You don’t want this sort of person to be representative of your company, so you move on to the next one.
See how easy it is to get looked over? Spend a few minutes and think before you post just anything on the Web. After all, it could be the difference between getting what you want and getting left behind.
What are we without our reputation? If you haven’t realized by now, your reputation is important, online and off. If someone says something about you to an audience that doesn’t know you they will be most likely believe it, whether it’s truth or not. So, that’s why it’s important to do all that you can to nurture and maintain a good reputation.
An easy way to do this is to use MyWebCareer, a personal branding tool that lets you discover, evaluate, and manage your online data. By evaluating many aspects of your online life, like your social platforms, your networks and how you’re searched, you actually receive a career score that reflects your personal online brand. You can use this information to help your brand grow, which can only help your reputation.
Has your online reputation ever been at stake? How did you resolve the issue and improve it?