Protecting your Online Image

No matter what job, or type of job, you apply for, you know that the hiring manager or recruiter will do a search for you online. This has become the quickest way for potential employers to learn about job candidates, however, many job candidates are not taking it seriously. You must protect your online image.

Recent studies have shown that more than 90% of hiring managers and recruiters are utilizing online searches to gain more information about potential candidates, before even calling the candidate for a phone interview. However, less than 45% of job candidates review what is online about them or have even done a search on themselves.

It is imperative to your career that you conduct a search yourself. Not only will this show you what potential employers are seeing, but it will give you an opportunity to correct any misinformation you see. Here are a few things you can do during your online search:

You should start by googling your name. Read every returned item in the search. Most often you find posts and information that you have posted on social media near the top of your search. Make sure these posts portray you the best way possible, if they do not, edit the post or remove them altogether.
If you are a member of the popular social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, but do not see anything populate in your search from these sites, it might be because your profile is incomplete. Make sure that your profile is complete on all social media sites, as this will help protect your online image.
Once you have your profiles complete and your other posts cleaned up, it is time to expand your presence online. You can do this by posting answers or information on forums and blogs. You can post helpful information to a question or add videos that show people how to complete a task. This will show off your construction skills and provide a great online image to a potential employer.

When you take the time to protect your online image, you will suddenly become more desirable to hiring managers and recruiters. Stop getting passed over for those construction jobs you would be perfect for – do an online search and show employers what they want to see.