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Topic : Managing Your Online Reputation
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Industry : Human Resources (HR) Consulting Functional Area : Performance
Activity:  26 comments  846 views  last activity : 09 28 2010 10:18:41 +0000
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Hi Friends,

This posting is my continuation of my earlier posting ‘Tips to make a good impression in an interview’.

I asked, ‘what’s the best way you consider for background check of a prospective employee?’, to a friend who is a recruiter in a company. I was surprised with his answer when he replied ‘google search’ as his favourite tool for background check.

I realised most of us use internet extensively and based on our surfing/ interest/ postings/ comments an image is portrayed which can affect our professional and personal life. I found the concept very interesting and hence this post on the importance of ‘online image’.
Adding on, I recently read somewhere that an employee took leave because of sickness and her colleagues found her active on twitter and facebook updating her day activity including where she went for shopping, lunch and night out. You can imagine that why she was not happy when she went to the office next day.

Furthermore you need to keep your online image simple and clean. As I mentioned earlier that a quick search on google, facebook or yahoo can give a summary impression of a person. Its good to have parties and share photos, info etc. with your friends online but you need to be very careful when you present yourself in front of world. It would not be a good impression if prospective employer/client finds you on facebook with bottles of beer. So search google with your name, email ids or phone no. Do you like the result? Analyze what image of your will it create on employer’s mind.

Agreed that we use these social sites to connect with our personal friends and share some personal activity but there is a professional aspect also attached to it as these sites are like open book. You never know, how people can use these sites to know about their prospective/current employee or client. So getting a new job or sustaining in the existing one can be decided by your online activity.

Here are the few ways to gauge your online image:

Be careful while posting online
If you are found on web suggesting ’10 ways to ditch your girlfriend’, or ‘how to fool your boss’ it wont be a good impression. I still remember few years back when I searched google with the e-mail id of one our then senior colleague, I (in fact all of us) got to know that he is looking for partner. The said person became a topic of many a joke in the office, which is certainly not desirable.
I have an account on linkedin, facebook, twitter, some communities, maintain a blog and a website. I always take extreme care while writing anything over the web. Content travels faster on the web. Some discourteous words or drunken, sexual, violent images or a wrong communal or social remark is enough to spoil your image over the internet.
In fact I would suggest that join some forum/community related to your domain knowledge and participate in discussion, knowledge sharing.

Use decent ids for mail
I can assure you that ids like sexychamp@…, harrypotter007@., …hunkydude@…, hottysweety@…, will turn your prospective employer off.
Avoid using complicated e-mail, with irrelevant names, some slang or some inappropriate intensions. Always use your name as an email id. Your name may be common so you can also add some number at the end to make it unique with you name. Like sanjaykumar3@… or other variations

Be careful while posting resume on job sites
During the beginning of my career one day my HR Manager came to me and asked why are you looking for job change? Are you not satisfied here? I wondered how he got to know that I am looking for change. The reason was, she had found my resume on a popular job site.
Your name and your current employer name can appear on the search of jobsites like naukri, monster etc. So make sure to keep your few details confidential.

To sumarise, I will emphasise that revolution in technology has provided us with the numerous ways to be connected with the people. People are part of different communities like facebook, twitter, orkut, myspace etc. to connect with friends and share personal life. But you should be careful enough while sharing your personal incidents over the internet as it is directly related to your professional online image.

For more blogpost - TE-Blog

Keep your feedback coming:)

Regards,

Sanjay

 Top Comment : Makrand Bhave   | 08 12 2009 03:03:55 +0000
haha... very tongue in cheek kind of article and very informative indeed!! Yes blogs on internet can be easily traced with typing the key words and then voila... there you are completely exposed!! That is a good article to AVERT CERTAIN POSSIBLE DANGERS!! Thanks for the referral Sanjay.. good one indeed!
 
26 comments on "Is your online image hampering your professional prospects?"
  Commented by  nelli, xxxx, xxxxxx    | 05 23 2010 01:48:34 +0000
Hi frnd its very interesting nd informative....gud wrk...!!! 
  Commented by  Leander, Corporate - Risk Management, Business Continuity, Security, FSL    | 05 17 2010 17:25:13 +0000
Hi -- the concept has originated as an alternate to the police verification -- which due to red tapism is a lengthy long drawn out affair. The concept is good and workable, to the extent of verifying/ counterchecking unobtrusively. Care has to be exercised that personal privacy is not violated by unwanted advances / comments. As a professional care has to be exercised also towards not being judgemental and restricting ourselves to facts related to the requirement of the job. An individuals personal activities should not be the basis to form an opinion impinging on his opportunities/ work life.

Further, you may also consider the fact that any individual not convicted in any case is not a consideration that they will commit more crimes -- in fact statistics have shown that 88% of frauds are committed by firsttimers. Also, are we being judgemental in not giving an opportunity to those who are convicted and penalised--are we judges to penalise twice over?
Rating : +1 
Good one Sanjay, really useful. 
some of the input given by others is an eye opener
  Commented by  sonam dixit, B.Tech/B.E. student, davv    | 12 27 2009 13:10:41 +0000
hey its a vry nice post.Really vry thnx for sharing such a gud information with us.
  Commented by  malladi madhukumar, AGM -MKTG, Andhra Cements Ltd    | 12 27 2009 11:57:18 +0000
Good post . Thank you very much.every internet user should be cautious about the above points. Now a days Internet is connected to our day to day life.As such it influences our image so conduct inbetter way so that u can reap the fruits. 
  Commented by  Sanjay Kaushik, Resource, TalentEquity Solutions    | 10 12 2009 15:44:52 +0000
Rating : +2 
Thanks guys for you feedback..Thanks Balram for adding this wonderful piece of information...
  Commented by  Devi Kaladeen, Audit Manager, Health Sector Development Unit    | 10 10 2009 17:23:47 +0000
Rating : +1 
If I may add being sick from work does not prevent you from going online and browse, read emails, etc.However, you have to be careful what you write like in the case of the employee who reported sick and mentioned about shopping, etc. 
  Commented by  varsha, technical manager(QMS)    | 10 10 2009 14:41:08 +0000
simply great post.. thanks mr. sanjay..
  Commented by  Suvrajit Gangopadhyay, B.E. (E&C) Final Year    | 10 10 2009 14:25:19 +0000
Rating : +1 
very nice post sir, it's very informative for freshers like me .....
  Commented by  Balram, Sub Editor/Reporter    | 10 10 2009 13:07:11 +0000
Rating : +2 
If you have a gmail account and you are checking your mails, and you open another internet explorer window for google search, the upper right side of the google search window will show the activeness of your gmail account.
    
After using gmail and logging out, always check once whether you have completely logged out of the account or not by opening another google search window and checking your status.
    
In case, you are not using your email ID but after opening google search window you see your gmail account active, it coould mean that your mail account is getting hacked.
  Commented by  aryan m., Accounts Executive/Accountant, adph    | 08 14 2009 09:04:21 +0000
Rating : +4 
you are right... i have seen here a lot of " crap" posted and is realy patethic and hilarious!and yes with google you can see more. ... like our boss , a married man searching in shaadi.com for a spose !
  Commented by  suchita Ambardekar, Financial Analyst, Falcon Brokerage Pvt Ltd.    | 08 14 2009 05:57:47 +0000
Rating : +1 
Hey great one...sanjay...
How about a coaching from you to all of us here, who wants to make a mark in our professional life.
  Commented by  Sanjay Kaushik, Resource, TalentEquity Solutions    | 08 14 2009 03:26:20 +0000
Rating : +2 
Hi Friends,

Thanks a lot for sharing your views. Its really nice to see your comments.

@ V. Durga Rao, thanks for the referral. I can imagine the position one can get in over the internet. I have also witnessed it for few times with me :)

Guys, I appreciate your feedback. It encourages to learn more and share more.

Keep your feedback coming. :)


Regards,

Sanjay
  Commented by  Praveen varma, Head/VP/GM-Marketing Reliance Industries    | 08 12 2009 17:47:10 +0000
I fully agree with you
  Commented by  Rohini Kaushal, HR Executive, Etech, Inc pvt ltd    | 08 12 2009 13:09:29 +0000
Rating : +5 
Hi,

 Nice and informative post.

You are correct sanjay.... if have seen many people having their mail accounts with some odd ids and many time they send their resume with these ids to the companies.

 And while chatting on social networks many people discuss their secrets and sometime on different topics which can also be seen by the recruiters as you said.

One should be very careful while doing any net activity and should prevent to post such things on net.

Thanks for sharing such an informative post.

Regards,
Rohini.
  Commented by  Karthick babu, Business Analyst, Latchiya Software Systems    | 08 12 2009 10:06:30 +0000
Thanks for sharing with us
  Commented by  Balram, Sub Editor/Reporter    | 08 12 2009 08:30:40 +0000
Thanks for sharing this article Mr V.Durga Rao....
  Commented by  syed naseeruddin ansari, Legal Manager, Cambridge Systems    | 08 12 2009 08:19:12 +0000
Good Analysis
  Commented by  Mallaya Pandravada, Project Leader/Managing Consultant, Sheladia Associates Inc    | 08 12 2009 08:15:18 +0000
Dear sanjay Kaushik,
Thank you very much for the tit bits, which many people miss.
Thanks for reference Durga rao garu.
  Commented by  Viktor Stephen, COO, Business Mashups LLC    | 08 12 2009 07:28:27 +0000
Rating : +1 
Nice post. Helpful in building one's personal brand. 
  Commented by  Betzi Miriyam Kuriakose, HR Section Head, The commercial real estate company    | 08 12 2009 05:18:40 +0000
Informative article.
  Commented by  Aarti Gupta, Legal Consultant    | 08 12 2009 04:59:53 +0000
Rating : +1 
Dear Mr. Sanjay, really, this article is very informative. Really, Online image and professional career often comes in each others way. Anyways, it was a very good article. Thanks for sharing...
  Commented by  V.Durga Rao, Proprietor/Attorney - M/s Durga Rao & Associates    | 08 12 2009 03:14:36 +0000
Rating : +3 
Respected Sanjay Kaushik,
      I am very happy to read your article and it deals with very very important subject. Reading of your article is very very important for all who maintain blogs and use internet extensively. Very great insight really.
      I have my own experience with the subject you have dealtwith, however, I can not explain my experience for the reasons stated in your article.
      You have dealtwith a very very important subject and anyone, who ignores the importance of being careful while using internet, may have to face unnecessary problems and some times it may even hamper one's growth. 
       I thank you for posting such an excellent insight.
  Commented by  Makrand Bhave, Sales Promotion Manager, XYZ    | 08 12 2009 03:03:55 +0000
Rating : +3 
haha... very tongue in cheek kind of article and very informative indeed!! Yes blogs on internet can be easily traced with typing the key words and then voila... there you are completely exposed!! That is a good article to AVERT CERTAIN POSSIBLE DANGERS!! Thanks for the referral Sanjay.. good one indeed!
Rating : +1 
Nice Insight !!!
Thanks for referral.
  Commented by  Devi Kaladeen, Audit Manager, Health Sector Development Unit    | 08 11 2009 16:13:04 +0000
Rating : +2 
Good post. Thanks for the referral.
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