What’s your digital footprint?
So you have a profile on LinkedIn; pictures on FaceBook; tell the world about your day on Twitter and your job at your blog. If you are looking for a job, and I were to trace your steps and follow each of these footprints, what type of picture are your painting? Are you someone who likes to “get down” on the weekends, drinking everything in sight (proof provided by you or your friends FaceBook pics). Maybe you like to read science fiction novels (you can show the books you are reading on LinkedIn). Better yet, you’re an avid video game player who plays Call of Duty until the wee hours of the night (some people use their gaming avatars in their profiles).
Regardless of what you do in your private, non-internet connected life, you must go to great lengths to protect the image you are presenting online. Each of these activities give a potential employer a clue about the type of person you are and insight into what makes you tick and what excites you.
So what? Does this really matter when you are interviewing and meeting with real, flesh and blood, non digitized people? The answer is a resounding yes! Employers, recruiters, HR staff, hiring managers - EVERYONE - is going online to verify you are who you say you are. They are checking you out. The days of employers just using references that you’ve provided are gone; deal with it and be prepared.
Now that we’ve established the importance of your online image, how do you develop and protect it:
- Keep a consistent name / user id across the different sites your belong to. Consistency is the key.
- Block information you don’t want the public to know about. Think before you tweet, post or message.
- Friends matter! Just like in high school, be careful who you associate with and friend.
- Never, ever, ever bash a previous employer. (It’ll come back to bite you).
- Set up Google alerts for your name and online id’s.
The bottom line is this - You are what you tweet. Think before you post. Research before you friend. Whatever clever phrase you want to use, be mindful of what you do online because it is not private. Many people forget the social part of social networking. The whole point is to share your experiences and network your way to a job. This only works if you open up and share some of yourself. Just be sure you’re sharing the part you want us to see.
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Tags: Career, Career Advice, Duane, Impressions, Job Search
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January 20th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Duane,
Excellent posting. I am very mindful of how I interact on the Internet. I’d hate to have an issue arise years after the fact.
January 20th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Does it come down to say, never commenting on politics? What if I’m a staunch Republican and the interviewer is a staunch Democrat? Never mentioning church activities (or synagogue or mosque?). Seems employers can get answers to all the illegal questions just by going to Facebook. Lord help anyone who doesn’t fit the clean-cut Mr. or Ms. Corporate Image 24/7! Riding motorcycles on weekends? Not without a suit and tie!
January 20th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Brad, great point. It can a bit out of hand. By the way, I never ride my motorcycle without a suit tie, just in case. (smile) :-)
January 20th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Great post… sometimes we get caught up in the digital world and forget that it is not the real world. We pretend to be someone other than who we truly are to impress others or bring attention to us. The only problem, as you mentioned is that everything is public. The things that give pleasure now, most likely will cause pain tomorrow.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
If there is any doubt to the validity of the statement just google yourself. You will be amazed at the “private” info that is available on the web for the world to see. The bad part is that there is no way to have something removed that once has hit the public domain. Be careful!
January 20th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Derrick -
I think there are still many people who don’t understand the ramifications for their online actions. Will be really interesting when they have this info pop up during an interview.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Brad -
You’re absoultely correct. My point is to be in charge and awarea of your image. If that’s who you are and you want the world to know it feel free to express it. Just be aware that it can have an impact.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Charles,
That’s for sure. That’s why I suggest people set up daily google alerts to see what’s being said / posted about them.
January 20th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Hey Duane, good food for thought. It’s easy to post anything today without any thought of who sees it, or where it goes, or how long it stays out there
January 20th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Bryan -
I think it’s too easy. People post and forget what they’ve said and then don’t think about potential consequences. Would hate for something like this to be a reason for not getting a job.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
The article was short and to the point and a good reminder. I stick to LinkedIn because it is supposed to be professional. I had a Facebook account for a month and was distressed by the people who wanted to friend me. While my photos were discrete and my comments were controlled, I didn’t need a potential employer seeing the things my “friends” posted. I didn’t need that reflection on me.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Susan -
Excellent point. As I stated - your friends matter. It’s hard enough keeping control of our images online without worrying about the “contributions” of others to our social media sites.
Thanks for the comment.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:12 am
And then there’s the family, lol! Family photos with the same last name… I’ve worked very hard to keep my public and private lives separate and I’m amazed at how some of these kids blur the line.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:38 pm
The term ‘internet tattoo’ gives a clue to the permanence. More people are growing up broadcasting their life and blurring the lines between home and work. As new generations become hiring authorities, do you believe there will be a shift in attitude?
January 21st, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Madi,
I’ve never heard that before but think it’s a great description for what’s going on. My thoughts on whether there will be a shift in attitude or not (let’s stick with your analogy) I think people are going to start using companies to “remove” their tattoos (clean up their internet indiscretions). People that are comfortable putting all of their lives on the net have no problem doing so. I think we will see a growth in companies that manage and, for a fee, clean up online profiles.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:40 pm
This is an excellent topic. Thanks for bringing it up. I’m a little older than, I think, most of the previous commenters are and I’m so torn between keeping up with the benefits of technology - and there are many - and opening yourself up to disaster! I feel so rude not accepting old high school aquaintances’ friend requests - that seems bad manners, but then I have no idea what most have been up to or want or will post, so what do you do? Please new school me on the rules! From an HR standpoint - I’ve seen it get bad.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Alicia -
Maybe others will chime in but my thoughts are:
We need to be aware that the information we are sharing will probably be seen by other prying eyes. I think a good rule of thumb is if you would be embarrassed to show it to your parents than it probably shouldn’t be online. Bottom line - If you (not you personally) are ok with the fact that there are comments or pictures out there that might be considered on the edge but are prepared to discuss them more power to you. I’m not saying don’t post them. I’m saying be prepared to discuss them because they will probably come up.
From a HR point of view, if you are doing a search for this person and their info pops up, I would think you owe it to your organization to have a discussion with the individual about it. The internet is a public place so I feel it’s fair game to bring it up.