Online Reputation is Currency for Young Professionals

Written by Mandy Boyle

We all know how important it is to build and grow your personal brand, but when you’re just starting out, it can be tough to figure out just what you should be doing to establish a solid reputation in the industry. So, to help out young professionals who need to start building a brand, here is the first in a series of posts on personal branding and what it means for you as you go through college, internships, and eventually, that first job in the industry.

Where do you begin? Well, let’s start with one of the most important facets of personal branding: your online reputation.

Your online reputation has huge value in today’s job market, especially if you bring something positive to the table. If you happen to have an established brand online, plenty of content you’ve created, and a demonstrated sense of community, you might find yourself with a great advantage over other applicants for a fellowship, internship, or job. But if you have a tarnished online rep, well, let’s just say that your bad reputation can follow you further than just your computer screen.

Where Can I Start?

The best place to start managing your online reputation is by thinking like an employer.

Employers usually start in the same place you would when looking for something: Google. Search engines are the easiest way to access a wealth of information about a potential job applicant. Photos, social media updates, blog posts, comments on websites, and even past employers can be found when you search someone’s name. To safeguard yourself from any branding surprises, be sure that you’re taking the time to search yourself. See what’s out there about you and go from there. If you see something embarrassing or potentially controversial, remove it or request to have it taken down.

Prospective employers also take a look at social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to get an idea of what the applicant is like. They’ll see who your friends are, what photos you’ve posted, and what your status updates look like. Are you using profanity? Do you have interests that make you a good fit for the corporate culture? Are you optimistic or pessimistic in your status updates? Employers want to know how you’ll fit in with or represent their organizations if hired. Social networking sites are a great place to research someone because they’re often a place where one feels most comfortable being his or herself.

In addition to social networks, employers also look through photo and video sharing sites (YouTube, Flickr, etc.), personal websites, blogs, online forums, online communities, and even some gaming sites. Basically, they want to get a better idea of who you are and what things, good or bad, you can bring to the organization.

How Can I Manage My Online Reputation?

Managing your online reputation isn’t just a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. It takes some time and effort, but it can definitely pay off during that search for the perfect job or internship. When developing your rep on the web, it’s best to keep in mind these key tips and strategies from recruiters, industry professionals, and even fellow job seekers:

• If you can’t delete something, compete with it. Search engines love fresh content, so if you find yourself with some unfavorable results coming up when you search your name, start creating. Start a blog or publish articles. Share information and get active on social media sites. Start participating more in online communities. The more active you are online, the bigger the digital footprint you leave behind. With some time and effort, you can drive down those negative search engine results and start rebuilding a tarnished reputation with things that can make you look even better in an employer’s eyes, like insightful blog posts or well-produced videos.

• Be mindful of other people in your network. It’s one thing to manage your privacy settings on social networks, but remember, you have no control over what others can do as your friend, follower, or connection. If you have a friend that likes to post controversial statements on your Facebook wall, let that person know about it. Have a family member that enjoys posting embarrassing photos? See if they can hold off on publishing that picture of you in the bathtub. Let others know what you do and don’t want being associated with your online identity.

• Show your knowledge by being active online. Having a Twitter account is great, but you have to keep it updated. By participating on social networking sites regularly, not only do you strengthen your reputation as a good communicator, but you also create more opportunities for networking with people in your industry. Just be sure that you’re offering value. Don’t just tweet about what you ate for lunch. Comment on news stories. Share valuable links. Have conversations. Demonstrate that you know how to use social media to communicate with others effectively.

• Clean up your profiles. Before you send out resumes, give all of your social media profiles a good sprucing up. Make sure things are accurate and updated. Delete the inappropriate photos, status messages, and comments. Tell your friends to hold off on filling your wall with Texts From Last Night. Remember – your profiles will be under the microscope if you’re considered for a position.

• Take control of your online reputation by starting a blog or building a website that uses your name as the domain. Not only will it rank well in search engines, but it’ll also give you a chance to show off your resume and portfolio. Who knows? Maybe an employer will come to you, especially if you take the time to interact with them prior on a social network like Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

• Make it a habit to Google yourself once a month or so to see what others are saying about you. It’s so much easier to manage your reputation if you know exactly what others are seeing when they search for your name. There are also dozens of tools out there that can help you monitor what others are saying about you online.

What other tips do you have for online reputation management? Is there anything else young professionals should be aware of when building up their personal brands?

About Mandy Boyle:

Mandy Boyle is a graduate student and freshly-minted communications professional. As a Search Engine Optimization Specialist for Solid Cactus and published freelance writer, Mandy is no stranger to compelling storytelling. When she’s not at her laptop or in the classroom, you can usually find her in the kitchen. Cupcakes are her specialty. Follow Mandy on Twitter at @mandyboyle or visit her website (http://www.mandyboyle.com).