Today your online image is usually the first impression any employer or possible a college recruiter will review about you. Your name will eventually be put through an internet wash-cycle and how it spins depends on how you have been maintaining it.
Keep in mind you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Multiply studies have shown an average of 75% of employees will Google an applicant and 70% will not hire them for what they found online.
According to an April 2016 CareerBuilders Survey, the following is an idea of what will turn employers off:
- Provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information – 46 percent
- Information about candidate drinking or using drugs – 43 percent
- Discriminatory comments related to race, religion, gender, etc. – 33 percent
- Candidate bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee – 31 percent
- Poor communication skills – 29 percent
It isn’t any different when it comes to colleges and students which is why parents stress to their teens to keep it clean – always online. If you won’t say it to your grandmother, don’t say it online.
Managing your social personality – it may time time, but it’s worth it.
Keep in mind your friends on social networking sites also reflect who you are. Take time to remove those that you really don’t know or those that like to make comments that they think are funny – but really aren’t. Or friends that post questionable photos that could reflect badly for you.
Your online reputation is your future. It is really that simple – or that serious. We live in an age that people will search the name of a plumber, a date they meet online, restaurant reviews, hotel reviews, just about everything before you purchase it – use it or meet them! The internet has changed our lives – mostly for the better. Be positive!
Are you Google-ready?
