As a child growing up in suburban Connecticut, I had a pretty good idea what was going on in our neighborhood. I knew when someone was going on vacation and where, and chances were good I took care of the pets using a key left under the front doormat. I also knew when someone lost a job or had a drinking problem or was having relationship issues. I kept it in the ‘hood, though, because it wasn’t anyone else’s business.
Today, there’s no such thing as being hush-hush thanks to the dynamic duo of Social media and search engines. With these two entities in the cyber mix, no one’s dirty laundry is safe – once it’s talked about on line, it’s there for all the world to see. You may be the most private person in the world, but who’s going to stop that friend from posting a compromising picture of you from the good ol’ days? May have been fun at the time, but it doesn’t say much for your image when a potential employer stumbles across the pic during a search. It could be the difference between landing and missing out on a job.
Here are a few situations where your rep may be monitored:
Job hunting. It’s not that potential employers don’t trust candidates … or is it? According to this Smart Business article, 45 percent of resumes contain at least one major fabrication. And since employers usually invest anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars to find and hire an employee, it makes sense that they want to get the best possible person. So they turn to online searches to help disqualify candidates who are overtly negligent in keeping their personal lives personal.
Club memberships. The famous Grouch Marx line, “I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have me as a member,” is no longer a conern for many membership directors. In addition to checking your financials, they’ll be looking at your reputation to see if there is anything that could harm theirs.
Private secondary school. Daddy and mommy may have the $$$ to secure junior’s spot at an elite prep school, but some of the more conservative ones may not want scandal walking in their doors the first day of school.
Potential business partners. During my first meeting with business partner and co-founder of weboostu, Kaurik Raj, he knew more about me than I did. Enough said.
Government office. If public servancy is calling your name, make sure — double sure — you haven’t name-called someone of influence in your cyber cloud.
Love interests. Even though online dating provides tons of info, the author of that glowing profile is a tad biased. (Imagine if exes were allowed to fill out the profiles. They’d probably be a little more accurate.) In addition to first impressions, the stealthy single woman may be Googling Mr. Right-Now’s name on an iPhone the second he leaves the room.
If you’re looking to make your online rep more reputable, weboostu might interest you.
