Job seekers seem to spend a great deal of time trying to look good on their resumes and social media networks. In fact, there are many resources that instruct job seekers how to look their best when applying for assignments. Yet, as a job seeker, have you ever “Googled” yourself to see what comes up online about you? What you find may be preventing you from achieving the career of your dreams.
Why you should be concerned about how you appear online?
As one of the most popular search engines, billions of people use Google search every day to find information on their favorite topics. From celebrities to recipes, Google search can produce some highly accurate results in a matter of seconds. This is why you should be worried about what comes up when searching for your name online.
Recruiters and human resource managers regularly search for more information about candidates when they are considering them for an open assignment. Although it is technically illegal to discriminate against a candidate based on some information found on a search engine, when something negative or offensive pops up online, it’s very possible that your resume will end up in the trash can instead of the hiring pile.
What can you do about your online image?
Your online image is very important when you are searching for a job, so you may want to take some steps to clean it up. While you cannot erase everything out there about you, you can do your best to appear professional on search engine results. Here are some ways to look better on Google.
- Create professionally branded social media profiles. To give the search engines something worthwhile to find, set up new social media profiles on the big 3 for job seekers – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Add a professional head shot photo and some basic information about you. Only post professional comments and connect with industry professionals and recruiters.
- Publish some industry relevant content online. Google search engine results hit on fresh content. Therefore, you can boost your online results by writing articles or sharing images that include your name and relevancy to your target industry. Look for online article directories and blogs that allow you to publish things for free.
- Register your name as a domain URL. Another trick to reducing the negative content found about you online is to register your name as a domain. This may cost you between $5-15 to do, but it’s well worth it to “own” your identity online before someone else does.
- Set up an online portfolio or resume website (secure). To help drive the Google search engine results, you can also use your new domain to set up a low cost website or blog where you can display your professional image and credentials. If you have a portfolio, you may also want to list it here too.
Taking the time to clean up your image on Google search engine results may take a few weeks, but it can help you to land the job you are vying for. Don’t take the chance that a recruiter or hiring manager may find something negative about you online. If you are looking for job openings in Ohio, contact Advance Staffing Solutions today.
