8 Ways to Buff Your Professional Image—Online
Getting ahead still requires a firm handshake and sparkling personality, but your online persona is just as important these days. Most recruiters use search engines like Google, Yahoo, or MSN to learn more about would-be candidates for the jobs they’re filling. Yet many professionals remain digital dabblers who can call up a corporate bio or other tidbits about themselves but who haven’t cultivated a cohesive online identity.
The result can be a disjointed online presence. One challenge is making sure that when someone types your name into a search engine, the best info about you rises to the top instead of getting buried below lots of irrelevant stuff. Another common problem: Other people with similar names might elbow you off the first page of search results. Or even worse, the top results of a Google search include way-too-candid party photos, court documents relating to your divorce, or other embarrassing material you wish you could retract.
A little bit of technical know-how can dramatically sharpen your online persona