Pre-Presenting Yourself: Your Online Persona

Savvy job applicants will always prepare for a job interview by doing a little armchair research—a quick Internet search can reveal lots of insights about potential employers, from benefits to corporate culture. But often young and inexperienced job hunters fail to realize that those little searches can go both ways. As easily as you can Google a company name, a potential employer can also do a search on your name or e-mail address. You might put forth a fantastic résumé and buy the most professional suit for your first interview, but what you’ve got posted on online chats, blogs, Web pages, MySpace, or Facebook pages might very well be the most important factor in shaping the first impression you make on a potential employer. Research suggests that more than three-quarters of employers Google candidates’ names when seeking to fill positions (Levit, 2010).

Consider Brad Karsh, president of a small company in Chicago who was looking to hire a summer intern. When he came across a promising candidate, he did a quick online background check, taking a peek at his Facebook page. There, the candidate described his interests as including marijuana use, shooting people, and obsessive sex. That the student was clearly exaggerating didn’t matter. His lack of judgment regarding what to say about himself publicly, Karsh says, took him out of the running for the position (Finder, 2006). Taking a few minutes to find out what’s out there on you can yield results. One student reported that upon Googling himself, he found an essay he’d posted on a student Web site a few years prior. The essay was called “Lying Your Way to the Top.” Only after he had it removed did he begin getting calls (Finder, 2006).

In addition to cleaning up whatever youthful indiscretions the Internet reveals, savvy candidates will do well to take advantage of the opportunities the Web presents for cultivating an impression that is professional and impressive. Career development expert Chris Perry notes that having no presence at all on the Internet can lead to the impression that you haven’t done anything noteworthy. He suggests creating professional profiles on professional Web sites, like LinkedIn and CareerRocket (the latter of which he founded), and posting content there, as well as posting relevant comments to highly read blogs with links back to your own professional sites. As you develop your online presence more thoroughly, it can be helpful to make use of search engine optimization tools that will improve your Google ranking (Levit, 2010). By eliminating content you don’t want employers to see, and creating content that you do want to be seen, you can cultivate an online presence that’s as impressive as your résumé.