It used to be you could check your image in the mirror and know what you were projecting in the workplace. While what you see in the looking glass still counts, what others see when looking online also matters--more than you probably realize.
Screening Job Candidates
For one thing, your online image factors into hiring decisions. And it's not only traditional employment documentation that companies check out.
Sure, these days, resumes are submitted electronically, companies require that you fill out online applications, and you correspond with prospective employers via email. When looking for a job online, you may even visit a corporate careers site and use an online question-and-answer feature that asks for your name.
But that's just the surface stuff.
Behind the scenes, recruiters and would-be bosses are also using online social networks and Internet search engines like Google to learn about job candidates.
Public Space
Social networking sites like
MySpace and
Facebook have become extremely popular.
MySpace, the largest social network in North America, boasts more than 110 million monthly active users from around the world, with more than 300,000 new users signing up every day. Facebook's stats are also impressive; it has more than 60 million monthly active users, with more than 250,000 new registrants every day.
That's an amazing amount of activity. But what does it mean to you?
If you're using one of these sites, it could mean a lot.
Unless you limit access to your Facebook or MySpace page, it's public space. This means any photos, videos, and commentary on your page can be read by anyone on planet earth with an Internet connection.
And guess what? Since these sites are now part of the mainstream, site audiences include potential employers, as well as your current boss and coworkers.
Information Sharing
Nevertheless, many people do not make the connection.
Take Jenna Jensen (a real person, though her name and a few details have been changed to protect her identity). Jenna is a college student about to graduate with a degree in business. Her MySpace page indicates she has a 3.8 GPA, is president of her sorority, and that she hopes to make a positive impact on the world. Sounds like Jenna would make a great employee, right? Jenna also indicates that she's a swinger, and she's got photos of herself scantily clad in provocative poses (these details have not been changed).
Will Jenna be hired? Perhaps, but it may not be as a business professional.
Jenna's situation is not unique. Steven Rothberg, president of CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading job board for college students and recent graduates, has commented on the issue several times, including at the
CollegeRecruiter.com blog, which references an interview he gave to NBC in 2006.
Rothberg's advice to job seekers is that “they only post information online that they would feel comfortable sharing with their grandmother.”
Understanding the Consequences
Yet, some people, like Jenna, either haven't gotten the word or have chosen to ignore such advice. Indeed, some users of social networks cite freedom of expression, as they often call it, as their prerogative. This stance could be a risky choice. Like it or not, hiring decisions, as well as career advancement, may be impacted by online content.
Social networking sites are the venues most typically reviewed, but they're not the only ones.
Every professional should also google (as in the verb, to google) herself and see what turns up. It's advisable to use both the Google Web search feature for content and Google Image for photos.
Remember, your online image appears on screens worldwide. What kind of professional image are you projecting?
Additional reading