Fast Company | Business + Innovation: When’s the last time you Googled yourself? If you said never, it’s time to start. Recruiters and potential employers are already searching you to decide if you’re a candidate worth pursuing. And if they aren’t searching you by name because they don’t know who you are (yet), then you've got a head start. Now's the time—not when you send in your resume or get called in to interview—to make sure you come up for keywords related to your personal brand.
5 comments:
I thought this article had genuinely good advice. Articles I have read from this website before have seemed a little bit avant-garde or particularly oriented around technological industries. I will be the first to admit that I google myself very often. I really have to though considering that there is only one Marisa Rinchiuso out there. The more companies integrate with technology, the easier it is to see revealing information on possible candidates. I think it is wise to take your Internet profile as seriously as you would your resume. I seriously loved the comment on how you have to conduct yourself as your own business brand on the Internet. The examples I found most effective were adding video to your resume, such as uploading videos of yourself speaking and posting tutorials, if that suits your desired field. What I did not like about this article is the fact that it has no propose solutions if there is unwanted information on the Internet about you. That is one of the reasons I think technology and business don't always have each other's best interest in mind. If you make a mistake when you're young and post that ugly drunk selfie, it may come back to haunt you the day that you're interviewing for your dream job. However, what the Internet does not tell your potential employer is how you've changed from that moment. So, I find this article a great precautionary advice article, however I think it lacks on the solution end.
I thought this article had a lot of impactful insight. I think it is crucial to be googling yourself. I am the only Marisa Rinchiuso out there, so I always keep myself up to date on what the first things come up for me. I really enjoyed that the article discussed creating a personal brand for yourself. I thought that was a very important point that not many people take into account. With the integration of technology and business, the updating of your internet doings and your resume go hand in hand. I liked the suggestion to upload videos, like lectures or tutorials. I thought that was a very creative "one leg up" idea. What I really did not enjoy about the article though was the lack of solutions if your internet google came back with some less than satisfactory images/threads. It is so easy to let your guard down for a second and then suddenly your Internet life stays forever. I think there are some down sides of companies searching potential employees because it creates an archive of mistakes that are hard to erase.
Out of curiosity, I googled myself after this article’s prompting. And within a few scrolls on the first page of Google I found myself. It’s a bio from my undergrad, all the graduating seniors filled out a bio that were attached to our headshots during the ceremony. Other than that, the first page of Google with my name are either obituaries or from some other Kelly who I suppose is an excellent tennis player in Silicon Valley. I liked the advise given bby the article that says “These online efforts should dovetail with your offline activities and create a virtuous circle. Any time you go to a meeting or an event, connect online with the people you meet in person—just have a reason to connect.” As I enter the job market it’s good to make sure that I’m connecting with the right people and making sure they remember me.
I have a few reasons for why I don’t google myself – for a start, I don’t feel like I am a very significant or common person for people to want to know. Another reason why I don’t google myself is because there are a large number of people around the world who share my name and are likely more search-able than my semi-private profiles. However, this article makes me think about the people who do google me – everyone who might possibly look me up are the ones who matter: potential employers, future peers, potential graduate schools or graduate programs, etc. My sister works at LinkedIn, but I don’t tend to use the platform very much because I don’t find it to be terribly user-friendly. I should make an effort to listen to the article and update my profile, though, since I do sometimes get a few views and oftentimes those views are from people who may decide my future.
Videos are also a good tip – I recommended that my boyfriend make videos to strengthen his medical school applications, but it never occurred to me that I could do the same thing. I need to think longer about what videos I could or would make to strengthen my brand, but I definitely agree with the articles’ tips and reasons with regards to this front.
I typically find it hard to agree with articles that are not just telling me what to do but also stating each “tip” in a matter-of-fact way. However, this article has proved to be the odd one out because I am finding myself agreeing with most of what it has to say, especially its last two comments about networking and evolving brands. Networking is one of the most important things a person can do in any industry, and never stopping updating your “brand” is another phenomenal tip that I think everyone should strive to do.
I have a few reasons for why I don’t google myself – for a start, I don’t feel like I am a very significant or common person for people to want to know. Another reason why I don’t google myself is because there are a large number of people around the world who share my name and are likely more search-able than my semi-private profiles. However, this article makes me think about the people who do google me – everyone who might possibly look me up are the ones who matter: potential employers, future peers, potential graduate schools or graduate programs, etc. My sister works at LinkedIn, but I don’t tend to use the platform very much because I don’t find it to be terribly user-friendly. I should make an effort to listen to the article and update my profile, though, since I do sometimes get a few views and oftentimes those views are from people who may decide my future.
Videos are also a good tip – I recommended that my boyfriend make videos to strengthen his medical school applications, but it never occurred to me that I could do the same thing. I need to think longer about what videos I could or would make to strengthen my brand, but I definitely agree with the articles’ tips and reasons with regards to this front.
I typically find it hard to agree with articles that are not just telling me what to do but also stating each “tip” in a matter-of-fact way. However, this article has proved to be the odd one out because I am finding myself agreeing with most of what it has to say, especially its last two comments about networking and evolving brands. Networking is one of the most important things a person can do in any industry, and never stopping updating your “brand” is another phenomenal tip that I think everyone should strive to do.
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