As noted in a recent Law Macs article, reputation management is becoming increasingly important for both individuals and companies alike. In our modern age, in which every single personal and professional detail about you can be discovered on the Internet, your reputation online can either make or break your career. It’s especially important for students, who may have been very cavalier about posting personal information online about themselves in college, to clean up their image as they begin to look for jobs. Here are a few basic tips for managing your reputation online.
- 1. Run a search on your name on Google and other popular search engines.
This is the beginning step for any sort of personal reputation management that attempt. In order to understand your reputation online, you’ll have understand how the search engines see you. Look at how and why negative or positive material about you is being presented in search engine rankings.
- 2. Make sure that you find ways to distance yourself from negative material that might be mistaken for yours because of similar names.
Most of the time, a bad online reputation may be simple a matter of mistaken identity. Especially if you have a very common name, it’s possible that negative information could be associated with you simply because you share the same name with someone else. If you see this happening often, look at the sites that share your name, and see how you can differentiate yourself. Begin using your middle name or maiden name on Facebook and other sites you may use on the Internet.
- 3. Don’t forget that pushing positive material is just as important to reputation management as eliminating negative information.
Without the use of often expensive reputation management services, it’s difficult to completely eliminate negative information about you in search engine results. You can, however, begin promoting positive information about yourself so that the negative or questionable results are pushed down in search engine results so that they are not as viewable. For example, you can begin writing guest posts on different sites in your industry, you can start your own blog, or otherwise participate in activities that get you noticed on the Internet.
- 4. Once you get a job, push your personal brand and your company’s brand as often as you can.
Many people forgo maintain their reputation online once they find employment. However, reputation management isn’t only something you do when you’re looking for a job. It’s something you should stay on top of constantly. Not only will it impress your current employers, but it’ll also develop your brand so you’ll be employable now and in the future. With a good online reputation, there’s no telling where your career can go!
Don’t get me wrong—reputation management is difficult. While reputation management services are affordable for major companies, for the individual, you’ll mostly have to go it alone. At the same time, if you’re vigilant about what you post online, you’ll have no problems at all. Good luck!
Maria Rainier is a devoted blogger who topics concerning higher education and technology. She has her finger on the pulse of the online education industry, and she delights in writing about the benefits of online bachelor’s degrees in our digital society. Please share your comments with Maria below!