How to Clean Up Your Online Image for Job Interviews

During the job search, your online image is now just as important as your resume, your interview and your skill set. Think your online journal won't matter? Your pictures and notes online have a big impact on a hiring decision, and employers are looking! Improve your odds of employment and clean up your online image fast.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet access
• Computer

1. First, you have to decide whether you want to delete your personal information online, or disguise your sites under a pseudonym. If you decide on a pseudonym, you will need to set up a free email account (such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo!) that does not list any of your personal information.

2. Next, take any personal sites you may have under your name and switch these sites to log in under your anonymous email address.

3. Also, delete any addresses and personal contact information you may have. It is never a good idea to have this information online, but it's also especially easy to find your sites online when you have this information up for employers to search for.

4. After that, take down any pictures from these sites that may identify you. This especially includes anything incriminating, but you are better off taking down all pictures, as different people have different gauges of what is or isn't appropriate.

5. Next, you should change the settings on all websites to "private." Different websites have different variables of what they consider private. When in doubt, choose the most secure settings. On most sites this is an option listed as "let only my friends see my site" or "let only approved users see my site."

6. Untag or unlabel all pictures others may have of you. Though you may think your information is private, employers can often access your pictures or information through the people you are associated with.

7. Specifically, you should seriously consider destroying your Facebook and MySpace completely. No matter how secure you believe they are, there is always someone who can find your information with a few mouse clicks. You are better off backing up those cherished beer-bonging pictures on your personal computer and deleting them from all online sources.

8. Don't forget sites that you may have used to share or buy pictures. Snapfish and Flickr are wonderful sites on which to share pictures, but chances are employers will be less than impressed with the antics that make you and your friends laugh.

9. Check and double check. So you think you've gotten rid of anything incriminating, huh? Well, you'd be surprised. Do a Google search after destroying the evidence, using a variety of keywords, such as "Your name + college," "Full name + hometown," "Email address," "Friends name + your name," and other obvious elements that are attached to you. Check it once after you do it, once a week later, and once a month later. Is there anything left? Ask the site administrator to take care of it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have any friends who work in Broadcasting or News, ask them to try and find your information. They are the people who are most likely to find your hidden sites.
• Remember, this doesn't mean destroying positive factors! Don't ask administrators to destroy a great article about you or your name in a list of accomplishments!
• When in doubt, ask a few friends to look. If you tell them there's something embarrassing about you online, chances are they'll go to the ends of the earth to find it. Test it out and see if they find anything.
• If you think this doesn't matter, you're fooling yourself. In an increasingly competitive job market, your identity is as important as your skill set. Even if you think your image is pristine, you are better safe than sorry.