{"id":35529,"date":"2019-09-20T13:42:54","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T17:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=35529"},"modified":"2019-10-15T11:46:46","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T15:46:46","slug":"6-ways-ensure-online-reputation-asset-not-liability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/6-ways-ensure-online-reputation-asset-not-liability\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Ensure Your Online Reputation is an Asset, Not a Liability"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you find yourself with a negative online reputation, a bad first impression, especially on potential employers, is a strong possibility.\u00a0 If your brand is damaged, your reputation can also be hurt with current employers. The good news is that you can examine your online image and improve it by following these steps:<\/p>\n

1. Limit Those Who Can See Your Posts<\/h3>\n

Some of the most common issues people face when looking for a new job are social media related according to according to Exceptional Resume Writers. There are privacy settings in your social media accounts.\u00a0 Use them to limit who can see the content you share. For example, Facebook has a feature where you can choose \u201cEveryone,\u201d \u201cFriends of Friends,\u201d and \u201cFriends Only.\u201d\u00a0 When you choose, always choose \u201cFriends Only.\u201d When you do this, employers can\u2019t see what you post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, if other people have posted about you, those posts will still be visible. Therefore, ask people that are in your social networks to untag you or to remove any unflattering or inappropriate content about you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Always Think Before You Post<\/h3>\n

\"the-brand-grader\"<\/a>
\nOnline Reputation Management: A Guide for Social Media Marketers<\/em><\/p>\n

If you post something that you will later regret, you are no longer in control.\u00a0 Therefore, always think before you post. That\u2019s the best way to ensure that your online reputation is spotless.\u00a0 Also, remember that in the 21st-century, screenshots of old posts happen often. Therefore, even if you decide to delete a post, it could still be present as a screenshot on another person\u2019s computer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before you hit \u201cpost,\u201d ask yourself the following:<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Is this an item that is okay to share in a work setting?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re in an office setting, if everyone saw your post, would you be comfortable with that?\u00a0 Fine to share? Pics of your baby niece\u2019s Halloween costume consisting of a pumpkin, for example. Not fine to share? A pic of you in a naughty Halloween police officer costume, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n

B. Is it a complaint about your job?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h4>\n

You want to stay away from bad-mouthing your employment. This includes any sites where you are promised anonymity for doing it.\u00a0 Why? You may, without knowing it, share information in the complaint that reveals who you are. When you complain about your job, it shows that you\u2019re not a team player.\u00a0 And it shows that you don\u2019t value your job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

C. Will my company\u2019s reputation be harmed?<\/h4>\n

If you are employed, you\u2019re likely connected to your company\u2019s name online.\u00a0 This could be on your company website or the profiles of your personal social networking. Therefore, the activity you do online reflects on your employer. Don\u2019t share content that harm\u2019s your company\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Remove Content That Is Negative<\/h3>\n

Negative content comes in two types \u2013 content you post and content posted about you by someone else. Going through your social media posts and removing problematic posts is somewhat easy, but it becomes much harder to get others to remove such content. In fact, normally, websites are not under a legal obligation to delete content simply because you want them to. This is why you often have to bury Google search results with positive content.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That said, if the website\u2019s Terms of Service is violated or meets the removal policy of Google, the content you want to be removed has a better chance of getting removed. Full instructions on how to remove content that is negative is found in the section \u2013 How to Remove an Article from the Internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Incorrect Address Information<\/h3>\n

If you find information in search results that shows that your name is incorrect (another person has the same name, for example) you should indicate this on your application.\u00a0 This way a company you wish to work with won\u2019t judge you on the missteps of someone else. In addition, there are steps you can take to fix these errors so that they don\u2019t come up in any future pre-employment checks.\u00a0 Full instructions are available in the section \u2013 How to Correct Errors in Employment Background Checks.<\/p>\n

5. Build Your Brand<\/h3>\n

\"how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1\"<\/a>
\nHow to Build a Personal Brand in 5 Steps (and Why Everyone Messes Up on Number 1)<\/em><\/p>\n

How do you repair a negative online reputation?\u00a0 You lower the negative items in your Google search results that apply to your content.\u00a0 This content is created by you, and therefore, has a tendency to rank highly when search results are for your name.\u00a0 Therefore, it\u2019s important to publish and update your content regularly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do you need personalized advice on your content situation?<\/p>\n

Ways to create content are:<\/b><\/p>\n

A. Get involved in industry groups on social media.<\/h4>\n

Always comment and post frequently.\u00a0 This shows that you are informed or engaged with your industry. You will also grow your professional network when you join these discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

B. Begin a blog.<\/h4>\n

Develop a professional-sounding domain name, such as FirstnameLastname.com. Then use your industry knowledge to write blog posts. Writing about a hobby or other innocuous content can showcase your talents, as long as it is a good reflection on you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

C. Fill out your LinkedIn profile.<\/h4>\n

LinkedIn, believe it or not, often ranks highly in an individual\u2019s search results. Therefore, it is important to be active on the network and to take advantage of LinkedIn features.\u00a0 See Make Your LinkedIn Profile an Online Reputation Management Tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Optimize Your Resume Content<\/h3>\n

\"Is<\/a>
\nIs it okay to mention Stack Overflow reputation points in my resume?<\/em><\/p>\n

You have skills and accomplishments.\u00a0 Therefore, you want your employers who search for you to find that content.\u00a0 How do you do this? One strong way is to make sure your resume is not hard to find online and is easy to read.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are ways to do this:<\/p>\n

A. Optimize your resume for the role you want.<\/h4>\n

Be sure to focus on certain words in the job you seek and for the industry you wish to be in. As an example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re a CPA and you\u2019re seeking an accountant\u2019s role.\u00a0 You\u2019ll want to highlight your education and your experience as an accountant. Be sure to mention your ideal role, and the industry you want that role to be, in the opening of your resume.\u00a0 Be sure the words \u201caccountant\u201d and \u201cfinancial\u201d show up often.\u00a0<\/p>\n

B. Post the resume online.<\/h4>\n

You\u2019ve got everything the way you want.\u00a0 Now, get it out there. LinkedIn is a good place to start.\u00a0 It has a resume function that lets you redraft and update your work experience, and all of this information is searchable.\u00a0 Making your digital resume easy to find is the goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

C. Add links to your content<\/h4>\n

Your digital resume should include links to relevant information. For an example, let\u2019s say a national magazine covered a project you were the head of.\u00a0 You\u2019ll want to have a link to the information for current and future employers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you find yourself with a negative online reputation, a bad first impression, especially on potential employers, is a strong possibility.\u00a0 If your brand is damaged, your reputation can also<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,5695],"tags":[7384,626,7212,5243,5907,5891,10426,10624,276,8886,5875,7593,3864,10024,988,5898,688,1011,118,10863,5892,7236,551,5759,5760,3132,1205,115,1600],"yoast_head":"\n6 Ways to Ensure Your Online Reputation is an Asset, Not a Liability<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you find yourself with a negative online reputation, a bad first 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