Do you know what the Internet says about you? Will it help or hinder your job search?
While the Internet makes it faster, easier and more efficient for prospective employers and candidates to find a match, all it takes is a quick web search to reveal your personal information and activities which might knock you out of the running for your dream job.
An increasing number of employers do that search before making a hiring decision.
Do a preemptive check
When you start looking for a new job, and periodically thereafter, it’s wise to do an Internet search on your name (including all names you’ve used). You can set up a Google alert for your name(s) and you’ll receive an email any time something new is posted about you. You might be surprised by what you find, and you don’t want to be precluded from an opportunity or ambushed in an interview because of any digital dirt.
Even if you’re still in school, it’s a good idea to check yourself out and get your blemish prevention and cleanup campaign started now. The best way to ensure a squeaky-clean online presence is to make sure any dirt is removed quickly or, even better, isn’t posted in the first place.
Craft your online identity
To have credibility as a businessperson, you must have a professional presence online. Therefore, make sure you’re listed at all the appropriate places. Once you pass the bar exam and any time you change jobs, make sure you update your State Bar online records. Use a current photo and bio on your firm’s website. And make sure you’re listed in the directories of any professional or educational organizations to which you belong.
Set up, completely fill out and regularly update your profiles on online business-oriented social networking sites such as LinkedIn. (Facebook is primarily a personal networking site.) Set privacy settings as appropriate and confirm that all information about you is accurate, complete and professional everywhere you appear online.
That includes your email address
Use a businesslike email address. Nothing dispels the image of a serious lawyer faster than contact information which lists something like “earthtojoey@xyz.com” or “sexysuzie@xyz.com.” You can be as imaginative as you want with your personal email correspondence, but choose something benign for business, usually including some form of your name, such as “jsmith@xyz.com” or suzanne.brown@xyz.com.
It’s a good idea to have a separate email account for job searching, and most people use Gmail for that. (Never use your current employer’s email when looking for a new job!)
Keep your personal life and opinions to yourself!
Everything online is fair game if a prospective employer runs an Internet search, so you may want to develop a dual personality on the Web. It’s a good idea to use a different personal email and/or a pseudonym which doesn’t identify you with any postings at sites, blogs, chat rooms and so forth, which have nothing to do with your life as a lawyer.
It’s none of your prospective employer’s business whether you collect vintage garden gnomes, are a Swifty, or seek a mate who shares your love of Frisbee golf. Be extremely careful expressing your political beliefs online. If you feel compelled to share your opinions on controversial but non-law-practice-related subjects on the worldwide web, you especially want to keep your personal and professional identities completely separate.
Sanitize your profiles
Clean up your existing profiles on any social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and their kin. Remove any potentially embarrassing information, comments, photos, music or videos. Disconnect links to other sites that might show content inconsistent with your desired professional image.
Limit access to your closest friends and family, and block comments if you fear someone else might post unflattering material on your profile. Although you can’t control what others post about you on their sites, blogs or profiles, you can cut off links to any friends or acquaintances with questionable content on their pages. At the very least, set up a mechanism to approve comments before they appear live on the Internet. Look for potentially embarrassing photos online where you have been “tagged,” and ask the owner to “untag” you.
That might not be enough
Even these precautions may not be sufficient. There’s no such thing as complete deletion of anything on the web; everything is archived somewhere, and savvy computer users may gain access.
Designating your profile, or parts thereof, as private doesn’t block access to everyone. Governmental agencies still may be able to read it in its entirety by virtue of the Patriot Act. Federal law guidelines allow potential employers to use social media sites for background checks if, for instance, the site is publicly accessible, the employer doesn’t create an alias to gain access, and any information gleaned online is not used in discriminatory ways. Although many states prohibit employers from requesting prospective employees’ personal passwords or usernames and the practice violates Facebook’s terms of service, that hasn’t dissuaded some potential employers requesting access to personal social media.
Once you’re hired, however, your employer may access personal accounts on any device issued by the company. So, keep them separate!
Watch your step
If you comment online or write a blog on any subject, law-related or otherwise, make sure it’s professional in content and tone. Check grammar and spelling; use complete sentences and proper punctuation (or site-specific protocol); use neither all caps nor all lowercase letters; don’t rant; never post anything embarrassing; and NEVER badmouth your employer. Don’t use profanity, cartoons or jokes that are discriminatory or otherwise in poor taste.
Lawyers beware: Be especially careful to protect privileged and confidential information, even if disseminated to a select audience.
Don’t blow your confidential job search
Beware, also, that actively participating on social networking sites runs the risk of a prospective employer blowing your confidential job search by reaching out to your links, coworkers or contacts for a premature reference check. Furthermore, if you post your résumé on job boards, and a prospective employer finds quite a few such postings in the course of a web search, you could appear desperate and indiscriminate.
Dealing with digital dirt
Even with all of these precautions, you might find some unflattering information about yourself on the web. The key is to proactively take steps to clean up as much as possible before a prospective employer sees it. You can contact the author of the offending material or the webmaster of any site containing potentially negative information to attempt to get it removed, updated or corrected. If necessary, you can utilize the services of an online reputation management company.
At the very least, if you check up on your online presence regularly, you can prepare ready answers for any digital dirt a prospective employer may dig up, so you won’t get sullied or buried by it during a job search.
