It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet! And it’s amazing what can be found about you on the Internet. With technology becoming something that many of us simply can’t do without, most people have at least some kind of digital footprint that can be easily accessed by anyone in the world. Do a web search on yourself sometime and see what you can find.

Who might have a reason to see what they can find out about you? One of the most common types of people interested in learning more about you would be someone considering hiring you for a job. If you’re a job seeker, keeping your online profile professional and generally acceptable is essential. A recent survey revealed that 45% of hiring professionals search for a job candidate online in social networking sites before even conducting an interview–this is an increase of 23% from just a year ago. Even more alarming, 35% of employers have found information that caused them to decide not to hire a candidate.

How can you make sure that your chances of getting hired aren’t derailed by the information that people can find on the Internet?

- Create A Professional Profile: It’s important to stay away from inappropriate content, but it’s just as important now to have an online presence that shows your track record and sends a friendly, professional, responsible image. You might be relieved to search your name and see nothing coming up on the web about you, but employers might wonder what you’re trying to hide or why you haven’t established a professional presence online.

- Delete Questionable Material: If you’ve posted pictures of your last weekend getaway in Las Vegas that you wouldn’t want your manager to see, chances are you don’t want your future manager seeing those pictures either. Use good judgment when adding anything to your social networking profiles and delete anything that’s questionable. If you can’t delete it, at least load up your profile with respectable, appropriate content to hide anything that might embarrass you.

- Create E-mail Alerts: Most major search engines offer a free service that will send you an e-mail whenever your name pops up on a website. When you receive the alert, you’ll know if anything new has been posted online about you and be able to address it if necessary.

- Avoid Using Your Name On Message Boards: Your opinions are important and there’s nothing wrong with sharing them, but if they are divisive, argumentative, or otherwise off-the-wall, future employers might wonder about your compatibility in the workplace. Use an alter-ego when posting anything that could come back to haunt you.

- Prepare Your Response: When you walk into a job interview, expect that the person sitting across the desk from you has done their research. If there is anything that might require an explanation, good or bad, be prepared to have that conversation and present yourself in the best possible light to your potential future employer.

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