Jane Doe
n/a
n/a
In this age of technology and social media, most individuals have some type of online presence that can be found by nearly anyone with access to the internet. Most people have a Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Instagram, Twitter, or some other type of social media account that allows the public insight into discovering a potential employee or co-workers personal life. Although these tools have been great for many useful reasons, such as keeping in touch with one’s family and friends, it can also display an undesirable version of oneself when in the wrong hands. After all, most people are not interested in sharing their wild night of partying in Vegas with a future employer. There are ways to protect privacy from what is available through limiting one’s online presence. The following essay will provide some steps to take in avoiding an embarrassing situation that can be prevented from falling into the wrong hands.
According to “How to Clean Up Your Online Presence and Make a Great First Impression,” an article on the LifeHacker website, the following examples can make an enormous difference in safeguarding one’s reputation. One of the first things that anyone can start with is a simple Google search of his or her first and last name, which can give ample evidence of the content available online (Henry, 2012). After getting a gauge of the way one is seen by the public via a Google search, the next steps would involve finding all the sites that need a bit of “clean-up” in the public relations department.
When sorting through the information online, it is important to only remove the parts that create an image that could be labeled negatively because the lack of information can also bode questionable (Henry, 2012). Deleting sites like Facebook and Twitter may be the best option when in pursuit of employment of other professional endeavors; however ensuring that sites like LinkedIn portray one’s positive attributes to deliver an encouraging image are just as important (Henry, 2012). One of the ways to use online presence to advance opportunity would be through using “a nameplate site (or several) that accurately reflects who you are,” along with obtaining one’s own domain name (Henry, 2012, para. 20). The final piece of advice for nearly every person on the planet who cares to limit the way he or she is seen online is to always present a favorable side instead of embarrassing moments that are meant to remain private.
Reference
Henry, A. (2012). How to Clean Up Your Online Presence and Make a Great First
Impression. Retrieved from http://lifehacker.com/5963864/how-to-clean-up-your-online-presence-and-make-a-great-first-impression
