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70% of US recruiters have rejected candidates based on their online reputation.

If you care about what prospective employers think, say, and do when they learn about you, then your online reputation matters. Just as a good online reputation can persuade employers to hire you, a bad one can cause them to disqualify you.

Your presence on the internet plays a key role in the perception that people have of you. When it comes to your brand identity, prospective employers, recruiters, even your own colleagues and clients will make assumptions based on what they find out about you. A poor online reputation can cause many problems. It can disqualify you from a job offer. It can cause you to lose income or sales. In some cases, it can even cause an employer to terminate you.

Don’t take my word for it. In January 2010, Cross-Tab released the results of a research study commissioned by Microsoft. The study examines the role that an individual’s online reputation plays in their professional and personal life. Much of the research focuses specifically on job search.

According to the study, online reputation plays a significant factor in hiring decisions. 70% of US recruiters say that they have rejected candidates based on information they found on the internet.

These days, recruiters and human resources professionals are extremely internet savvy. Cross-Tab’s study found that, in most cases, they are very likely to review your background online. To decide if they will call you in for an interview, they will first learn as much about you as they can. Moreover, in many companies, recruiters and HR professionals are required to make online screening a part of the recruitment and hiring process.

Managing your online reputation is crucial – unless you just don’t care what people think, say, and do about you. Whether you are a job seeker or if you are currently working, you need to manage your online reputation. Just as poor marketing and bad press affect businesses negatively, if you have a weak or negative online reputation you will experience unwelcome consequences.

Reputation management is a big business for a reason. Information on the Internet remains there for a very long time. In many cases, it is archived and not easily deleted. Your pictures, profiles, resumes, social network pages, videos, blogs, and anything else about you can be viewed and shared by others. Especially when there is something compelling about you, people will forward online links and documents to inform others about you.

The good news is that 85% of those surveyed said that a positive online reputation also influences their hiring decisions. You can create positive results by managing your online brand identity. Take some time today to upgrade your online reputation to make your best impression on prospective employers, recruiters, colleagues, and clients. You won’t regret it.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please email me if you spot any errors in this post.

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