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Chapter 1 Online Presence
Overview
Think about it. The average person spends 30 percent of his or her time each day at work.
Finding the career that will make you satisfi ed with your work life is probably at the top of your list
of priorities. The fi rst step in the career-search process starts with your online presence.
People learn many things on the Internet—current events, news, weather, social issues, and much
more. Potential employers will explore the Internet to see what they can fi nd about you. Although
your name might not be the subject of millions of search engine trends, your name and the online
results that it returns are important considerations during your job search. An online presence can
help to inform professionals in your fi eld about your skills, qualifi cations, and talents. How will you
stack up against other candidates?
For any personal social account that you
have, change your privacy settings so that
potential employers, or the public, cannot view
pictures of your friends and family. Customize
your privacy settings so only those whom
you designate can visit your pages. However,
remember that any photos or comments you
post are potentially public and will never
disappear. Do not post any photo or comment
that would embarrass you if a potential employer
lands on your page. Once information is posted
on the Internet, you cannot hide or delete it.
Potential employers will enter your name
in a search engine to see what your online
presence reveals about you. This search will
show if your online presence is positive, negative,
nonexistent, or shared with someone else with
the same name. Figure 1-1 shows each type of
online presence.
A positive online presence can lead to
employment opportunities. This occurs when a
hiring manager enters your name into a search
engine and discovers results such as links to
well-written articles, a professional portfolio,
and memberships to business networking sites.
As a result, his or her impression of you can be
positively infl uenced, even before an interview.
However, if a hiring manager enters your
name into a search engine and begins to read
negative press, his or her impression of you can
change quickly. A negative online presence can
harm your professional reputation and minimize
your chances for potential job interviews. If you
Creating Your Online
Presence
Finding a career that is right for you can be
an overwhelming task. You spend most of your
waking hours working, so choosing a career
is not to be taken lightly. A career is a lifelong
pursuit. During your working years, you will
more than likely change careers multiple times.
One of the fi rst steps in the job-search
process is to evaluate your online presence. An
online presence is what the public can learn
about a person from viewing his or her Internet
activities. In today’s workforce, your online
presence can infl uence your success in the
career-search process. Hiring managers often
conduct independent research on job applicants
to determine if the interview process should
move forward.
Most people retain Facebook, Twitter, and
Pinterest accounts to socialize and maintain
relationships with friends and family. These are
important aspects of online communication.
However, since the Internet can reveal private
communications to unwanted parties, a potential
employer may be able to view private exchanges
without your knowledge or consent just as
anyone else could. Be aware of what you are
posting on social websites, as these activities
might appear when a search is conducted for
your name.