A quite troubled friend once told me phones should come with breathalyser locks; if you have more than a few, you will not be able to make dumb posts on Facebook that you will regret the next morning.
Using the Internet is an efficient tool to find the right job, but this blade is double edged and recruiters now use the Internet to do their own digging. Maybe you were only blowing steam at the end of a hard day or only having a laugh with a few friends till a status update costs you your dream job or callback.
Information on the Internet is viewable by anyone. Be protective of your social profiles, especially if you are the kind of person with a talent for over-sharing.
Think hard before you complain about work, personal feuds or make derogatory statements. Recruiters will look at anything that comes up on a Google search. The following are a few steps to clean up your digital dirt.
Google yourself
This is the first and simplest step, and chances are you have already done it. This time, look at the search result from the recruiter’s perspective. Google your name to see what the recruiters will see, and clean up any negative digital footprint that you left behind.
Change your settings
Make your personal social media settings as strict as possible. Only your accepted friends should be able to see your posts, not friends of friends and certainly not any larger networks!
Are you the only you on the internet?
Find out if there’s some loudmouth somewhere on the Internet with the same name as you posting things you do not want to be associated with. If there is, one way to overcome the problem could be by using your middle name, or initial or any slight variation in the name to set your profile apart. Additionally, you could also make sure your profile picture on Facebook and LinkedIn is your own and up-to-date for your potential recruiter to recognise you from your CV photo or from a personal interview.
Become vigilant
Just because you have your privacy set to maximum doesn’t mean you’re safe. You never know who knows who, and who is seeing what. Protect yourself by not posting thoughtless dross.