If you use the internet to your advantage, nothing much will stand in the way between you and your dream job.

Whether you are looking for a new job or you have already landed one, your (future) boss is probably googling you. This shouldn’t come as a surprise in this digital age, and the job market can be pretty competitive. Make sure you’re all set to pass the test, because the results could possibly be harmful for both your current job as well as for the job you’re applying to.

Your visibility

First things first: google yourself. Look at how many profiles come up and at which ones come up first. This is what recruiters will see when they type your name in, so try to curate the results as much as possible using your personal information. Change your Twitter name or Facebook URL accordingly. Delete the profiles you don’t want to be on there, or edit them so the only information left on the profile is things your mom would approve of. 

No visibility at all is also a bad idea. No presence on social media today comes across as very suspicious. Tim Barry, co-founder of the online community #JobAdviceSA, explains: 

"If a recruiter googles your name, and the search returns no results in terms of social media profiles, this will instil an element of doubt in the mind of the recruiter regarding your suitability for the role. 

The absence of a digital footprint could be interpreted as an attempt to cover-up inappropriate posts and pictures on Facebook, for example, or could lead to the assumption that you are either not computer literate or are not adept at using social media, two skills which have become more and more integral to the majority of jobs in the 21st century."

Therefore, make sure you are present, but the good kind of present.

Read: Social media do’s and don’ts for professionals

Your headshot

If you added a picture to your CV, it’s probably a very professional one. But if your Facebook profile picture is you, passed out with permanent marker on your face, you’re not making a very good impression.

Take charge of your images and how you look online. Choose pictures from a family birthday party above ones of the last beer pong game you participated in. Also, next time your friends tell you to show a “picture or it didn’t happen”, think twice before you concede to this request. Real friends shouldn’t regard you as a liar anyway.

Your online persona

Next to checking out your pictures, employers will also judge your character online. This means stories about your drug or alcohol use are a definite no. Recruiters want see whether you have an exemplary personality online. This means no inappropriate comments or obscure communities.

Remember, everything can be found online, from the type of clothes you wear, to the type of car you drive, to the type of music you enjoy listening to. Every single one of these things might cause (unfair) prejudice. So keep your private life as private as possible. And make your online persona look like an exemplary professional, responsible and capable person.

Tip: For extra caution, use social media’s privacy settings to hide your questionable info from prying eyes.

Read: Your social media updates could be costing you a job

Your qualifications

The objective of googling potential candidates is to learn whether or not you are a suitable candidate. Creating an online portfolio will help you a great deal.

While your CV needs to be a brief summary, in an online portfolio you can go into deeper detail about all your accomplishments. Make sure that everything that can be found online matches the qualifications you mentioned on your CV. If you claim to be a social media specialist, make sure your social media profiles prove that you know what you’re doing.

Do a short course in social media management to show your potential boss that you know how to conduct yourself online.

Lastly, try to get as much endorsements as you possibly can from former employers. If the recruiter did have some premature prejudices about your character, these testimonies can positively contradict and instead confirm that you are a perfect fit for the company.

Thus, when going online there are a few things you should remember. Most importantly: everything can be found; only what isn’t there cannot be found. If your profile is linked to your official email address or cell phone number, it won’t matter if you’re using a fake name, recruiters will find your profile anyway. So be aware and be vigilant about your online representation. If you use the internet to your advantage, nothing much will stand in the way between you and your dream job.

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