To do: Manage what the Web knows about you

A thoughtfully managed, carefully crafted Web presence is no longer optional for professional people. It is not merely helpful to have a positive Web reputation; today, most professions and industries expect you to have one. To a hiring manager searching for information, finding nothing about your background can have as bad an effect as finding negative information about you. Remember that your Web reputation reflects not only on you, but on the organization you work for. In this activity, you will take steps to define and polish your online reputation.

A tip from Lisa:

You need to manage all of your online "personas"—your current name, variations on your name, your maiden name, and aliases such as stage names or noms de plume. Google them all! And consider registering as many as you can, pointing them back to your main profile.

Find out how you look on the Web

Google your name and any variations of your name that you have used. Follow links that mention you (or people with your same name if yours is unusual—recruiters may assume they are you). Search on LinkedIn and other networking sites for your name, including background-check sites such as phone number and address look-up sites.

Log out of all of your accounts, including email and social networking. Clear your browser history and cache. Now try to access your social profiles. How much of your LinkedIn profile can the general public see? What is visible on Facebook? Check all of your Web presence accounts, including sites such as Tumblr.

Register your name

If you have not yet obtained a domain name, now is the time. If you have a common name, you probably will not be able to register the simple version of it, such as karlschmidt.com. Try variations that include your middle initial or name. You can also append a profession indicator, such as karlschmidtcpa.com (Karl Schmidt is an accountant with a CPA credential). Search on whois.com for an available name and register it for the longest time available (usually ten years) with automatic renewal.

Create a communication stream

Register for a blog at Wordpress or another blogging service. Associate your blog with your registered domain name so that people can find you easily. Update your blog with content that is professionally focused or, if not professional, neutral in the eyes of hiring managers. As you blog about current issues in your field, your blog will start to appear in search results. Try to share blog links with other bloggers, and always include a link to your blog in relevant emails, tweets, comments, etc. Make sure the RSS feed link is available on your site.

Start tweeting. Stay current with relevant hashtags and seek to tweet at least once a day.

Start a Google+ account and post statuses that include your name. These statuses often get a higher rank than other content in Google search results.

Polish your profiles and content

If you have not yet done so, consider setting up one or a combination of the following accounts using your name as the username. A Google search on your name may turn up your profile on:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
SlideShare
Google+

Review your social media profiles and content, then ask yourself, "Would I hire this person?" or "Would the company I want to work for be happy about the impression I am creating with this profile?" Review your privacy settings to verify that only the people you intend to can access your content. Bear in mind that even though privacy controls are in place, anyone in your network who can see the content may spread it, intentionally or unintentionally. If material is not for general public consumption, the best policy is not to put it on the Internet, period. In the next section of this course we will talk more about how to polish your profile, but start here by making sure you are signed up and know what your privacy settings do and do not control.

Establish your professional reputation

Speak out in public forums, comment sections on blog posts or articles, and other places where your professional opinion is relevant and helpful. Aim to be a productive and positive member of online communities, and include a link to your blog where relevant. Use your real name so that people recognize you and find you on site searches.

Write book reviews on Amazon and other book sites using your real name. Ideally, review books that are related to your profession and use your review as an opportunity to demonstrate your professional insight and commitment to continuous learning.

Deal with the blemishes

Where possible, you need to clean up your Web footprints and be prepared to explain blemishes (even if they aren't yours). The good news is that you can mostly control what people see about you online by creating positive content and burying negative content.Take steps to improve what appears in search results:

Use your real name as much as possible when you post content.
Maintain an active communication stream (see above).
Join as many social networks as are relevant, and use your real name in the profiles.
Repost any articles or other Web content that mentions you by name on your blog.
If someone with your name is objectionable or notorious, you can make humorous mention of it in your profiles as appropriate. Do NOT link to information about that person or discuss details.
Ask to have incorrect or defamatory material removed where possible.
Be prepared to explain and provide context for negative information revealed in a Google or other search.

Pay attention

In the ever-changing online world, you need to continuously monitor and burnish your Web presence. Now that you have done your best to present a positive image, maintain it by periodically re-Googling yourself, signing out of your accounts, and checking what your "public" profile looks like.