building a positive online reputation

Building a Positive Online Reputation

Using the Web to Enhance Your Career

Babu Appat

What's Your Online Reputation?

Quite obviously, a bad reputation can wreck your career.

Search the WWW

And, nowadays, your reputation includes what clients, colleagues, and hiring managers can read about you

on the Web.

In this Session

We look at how you can

manage your online reputation

Think about how you can make a good first impression in person

Enjoy this session

Please Imagine that:

You've just applied for a new job, and that you're feeling confident about it.

Let’s think that:

You have all of the skills and education needed for the role,

and your first interview went well.

2nd Round

So you're disappointed when you hear that the hiring manager won't

be calling you in for a second interview.

Why?

When you ask why, she tells you that she was put off by flippant

comments that you'd made about your colleagues on a social

networking site.

Image in the Cyber world

Despite having the right experience and qualifications, your online

reputation has taken you out of the running for the role

Reputation management

Is an essential part of career management, and your reputation

now includes what people can find out about you online.

Help / Haunt

Photos, tweets, and comments - even those posted years ago - can easily be found online, and

they can come back to haunt you

Positive Online Reputation

In this session we'll look at why it's so important to maintain a positive online reputation. We'll then outline how you can use the Web to present yourself

in the best light.

The Importance of a Positive Online Reputation

Your online reputation is now just as important as your offline one. In fact, it

can be more important, because content on the Web is, for the most

part, there indefinitely.

Recruiters, clients and employers routinely search the Web to

uncover the "real life" of applicants, business partners, and employees. If people don't like what they find, your reputation could be seriously

damaged

Tweets and Posts

Employees at all levels are affected. For example, the CEO of a global

company posted online images of his elephant-hunting trip in Africa.

Your Holiday Snaps

The images were graphic, and upset thousands of the company's clients

when they were circulated online. The company lost clients as a result, and the CEO's reputation was tarnished.

It opens up avenues

On the flip side, a positive online reputation can enhance your career, and can open doors that you might never have opened on your own.

It promotes you up

For example, intelligent comments or thoughtful blog posts can lead to promotions, new clients, and new opportunities in your current role

Conversing Positively

For instance, one woman was promoted after her employer

discovered that she had sent out encouraging tweets to potential

recruits.

Note:

Keep in mind that your company may have policies covering the use of

social media.

Usage Restrictions

Some organizations specify how employees should use social media when at work. Others have rules in

place for personal social media use, as well.

Never Post anything in Haste

In some circumstances, your job can even be terminated if you make inappropriate comments online.

Check your organization's policies carefully

Enhancing Your Online Reputation

The thought of checking every online entry about yourself can seem

overwhelming, especially because you can't control what others say

about you

Tools available freely

The good news is that there are plenty of tools - most of them free - that can

help you manage your reputation online. Let's look at how to get started

Survey Your Current Reputation

Start by simply searching for your name online, looking at both the image and

website results generated.

Keywords

Put your name in quotation marks, and include other keywords, such as your

employer's name or the city where you live

Self Search

Self-searching is also an easy way to uncover any comments, blog posts,

videos, or pictures that you may have forgotten about.

Search Social Media

Do internal site searches if you use social media sites such

as Facebook®, Instagram®, Flickr®, Twitter®, LinkedIn®,

or Google+®, as parts of these sites can be inaccessible to a general

online search

Google Alert

Next, set up a Google Alert for your name.

Google Feedback

Once you have signed up for this free service, Google will email you when new content is posted that includes

your name.

What’s Published in Web

This will help you to monitor what's being published about you as soon as

it's live

Limit Damage

It's important to go through these results and think carefully about

whether they present you in the best light.

Say it aloud

If you wouldn't say something out loud at work, then it's not something

that you should say online.

Embarrassing content

And if you would be embarrassed to have your boss or potential employer

see content about you, it's best to take it down

What can you do then?

So, what do you do if you uncover an embarrassing picture, comment, or testimonial that you want to take off

the Web?

Get it removed

If you don't control the site in question - for example, if it appears on someone else's Facebook page - you'll need to contact the owner or webmaster and

ask them to remove it.

If only it’s against the rules

In some cases, Google will remove content or images at your request. However, this only happens when

certain laws are being broken.

Report Violation

If you suspect that inaccurate or confidential information about you is

being displayed on the Web, you can report the violation and ask for

the content to be removed.

Removal of Unwanted content

Other search engines offer similar services.

Negative V Positive

You can also manage negative personal content online by uploading

more positive content.

Google Ranking

Google ranks content according to relevancy, so newer content, or

content that many other sites have linked to, shows up higher in search

rankings.

So, how can you generate positive content about yourself?

Future-Proof Your Reputation

Think about how you'd like clients, managers, and future recruiters to view you online. You can build that positive online reputation in several

ways

Your Content

First, consider starting a blog. There are numerous free blogging sites, and

many allow you to personalize the appearance of your blog, so that it reflects the content that you plan to

post

Industry Focused

You could focus on your industry or area of expertise, or you could write

informative articles that teach others a useful skill.

Blog

A blog will not only show off your communication and branding skills,

but it will also strengthen your reputation as an expert.

It’s for others to see

And, of course, you're publishing content that you want others - current

or future employers - to see

Write, Contribute, Publish, Comment

If you don't have the time to maintain your own blog, consider becoming a

guest contributor for established blogs and websites, or think about

commenting on content on social media sites such as LinkedIn

Tip:

• It can be tempting to slip into an informal or humorous communication style when using social media.

However, bear in mind that humor or a light-hearted response may not be appropriate in a professional setting, especially if people could misunderstand you.

When posting online, treat others as you wish to be treated, and take the time to think about your responses fully. This is especially important if you're discussing sensitive or controversial issues - here, you might want to use a pseudonym.

Maintain Privacy

You're probably connected to family, friends, and work colleagues through

social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Who sees What

This can make it difficult to keep your personal and professional lives

separate. However, most sites have options that allow you to limit who

sees what

Facebook

To limit who can see a wall post, go to your privacy settings page and select the "Public," "Friends," or "Custom"

button. The Custom button allows you to select the individuals who can see

a particular post or image

Twitter

On Twitter, you have the option to make your tweets public or private.

Public tweets are visible to everyone and can show up in search engines. Private (or "protected") tweets are

visible only to users whom you have approved. These tweets cannot be

retweeted

Protect my Tweets

To protect your tweets, select the "Settings" option from the dropdown

menu at the top right of the page. Scroll down to the "Tweet Privacy" button, and check the box next to

"Protect My Tweets." Then click the "Save" button at the bottom of the

page

Pinterest 

If you link your Pinterest account to other social media such as Facebook and Twitter, others will be able to find

your account faster.

Change Settings

To avoid this, go to the "Settings" page, and switch the "Search Privacy" option to "Yes." Next, click "Save

Settings." This will tell search engines to ignore your profile, although the changed settings can take several

weeks to be processed.

LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is generally considered to be "safe" social media because it's a

professional social network. However, its privacy settings can still affect your

reputation.

Shows up in Web Search

For instance, your Twitter feed can show up on your LinkedIn profile

page, and your professional history can show up in a Web search.

Managing Accounts

LinkedIn has many options that let you control how much others can see in

your profile. Visit the "Managing account settings" page for a full list of options for controlling the privacy of

your profile

Key Points

It's just as important to manage your online reputation as it is to manage

your offline one.

Reputation- Online/Offline

Negative online content can turn up years after it was posted, affecting how clients, colleagues, and hiring

managers view you.

Positive- Opens Up

Such content could even cost you your job. On the other hand, a positive

online reputation can open doors and lead to new opportunities

Get notified

To manage your online reputation, set up a Google Alert that notifies you whenever someone mentions your

name online.

Careful Screening of Content

Carefully screen content that you've posted in the past on Facebook, Twitter, online forums, or other

websites.

Modify or Delete Unwanted

If you'd be embarrassed to have your boss or colleagues see this content,

try to take it down

Post Positive Content

Last, manage what people see by posting positive content about

yourself. Create a blog, and write tweets or status updates that

demonstrate your expertise and willingness to help others

A Final Note 

When you present yourself in the best possible light, you open doors that you may not even have realized

existed. These could include finding new clients, opening up new

opportunities, and building better working relationships

Thus

Carefully build up your online and offline reputation

Have a successful career

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