Googling Employees: What's your web persona?

Group Information


Group Members
 * Christine Goss
 * Gregory Frost
 * YingJie Cheng
 * Najia Ahmadi

Contact Information
 * Christine Goss - christiee-@hotmail.com
 * Gregory Frost - bigbadfrosty@hotmail.com
 * YingJie Cheng - charlene1366@hotmail.com
 * Najia Ahmadi - ahmadinajia@hotmail.com

Initial Project Statement
The sudden increase of employers using the internet to research employees has pushed many people to monitor their online image. Search engines like Google make obtaining personal information on the internet easy. We will explore how the ability of accessing this information can hurt or benefit you and how to protect yourself. In this technologically-advanced society – how does your web persona live up to employers expectations?

Introduction


Over the past decade, the internet has played a stronger and more important role in all aspects of modern culture. It is now a normality to use the internet as a source of information, communication and pleasure. As a public domain, the internet allows anyone access to information that has been put up online. Recently, it has become more popular for employers to research their employees on the web. With a few clicks of a mouse, an employer can pull up any posted information about you- whether you posted it or not. This can provide an extension to your resume, an extension you may not have been anticipating. In this technological generation, teens and young adults are unaware of the risks associated with their actions in the online world. As more and more employers start digging up information on their future workers, it is more important for everyone to start re-evaluating what they post on the internet. Whether it be pictures on Facebook, venting in your online blog, or making up rumours about someone else, soon it may affect whether or not you get the job you deserve.

Argument
Some people believe that it is fair for employers to search current or potential employees online. Others believe that the employers should not use the information on the internet to create judgements about employees. Whether employers can make good assumptions or bad assumptions about employees, all information posted on the internet is fair game. The internet is a public domain, so anything posted online can become common knowledge for the public – including your current or potential boss.

Information on the Internet
Anything with your name attatched to it can pop up on the internet.

Social Networking
Whether you hold an account on Facebook, MySpace, or any other social networking website, your information is available to anyone. Although you can set up fire walls and install safety settings, employers still may be able to find out about your actions through friends of yours, or, if you don’t have these safety features may they directly look at your profile. All of your pictures and the personal information you decide, or your friends decide to post on your pages will be fair game as a means of judging if you will receive the desired job, or may result in actions being taken if you are currently employed.

According to recent research on Execunet, up to 77% percent of employers are routinely using search engines to scan the information of applicants, and that number will continually rise as the information era grows. When employers stumble upon any questionable content on applicants’ profiles, it can determine whether or not they are hired, or in fact if they keep there job. From the same survey, 35% of recruiters admitted to eliminating candidated from consideration based on information found on the internet.

In some cases, employers are able to obtain information from your online profiles that they would not legally be allowed to ask you in your interview. Martial status, age, political affiliations or even the value of your house are all things a cunning recruiter can find in an instant.

Different Cases
An example of the potential dangers of your web information involve Miss New Jersey. Recently, some questionable pictures of her were brought to the attention of the media after an attempt at blackmail. These photographs did not disqualify her from the competition, but they did provoke the question, “Why are teens exposing themselves in such a way that could hurt them in the future?”

Another example involves former Delta Airlines flight attendant Ellen Simonetti. She lost her job with the airline after she posted suggestive pictures of herself (below) in uniform on her “Queen of Sky” blog. Though she did not mention the airlines name, the company chose to dismiss her for her poor decision making and lack of respect for her position. The provocative pictures posted online may have been for fun, but the company felt it put the company’s reputation in jeopardy.

Cases like the ones above are not uncommon. In fact, even on your own profile, there may be comments and/or pictures that would cause a potential employer to make up there mind about your status in there company. It is important to remember that any information about you displayed on the internet is publicly available, and companies want individuals who will represent them in a positive light.



Pros and Cons
Pros

One of the benefits of employers googling employees is if you choose to make your profile public, everything you post is fair game. A public profile is a vehicle for casually interacting with others in an informal setting on personal free time. Networking also gives the users the options of keeping their profile private; users should take advantage of these options. Any embarrassing or unprofessional photos can be removed from the internet and you have the power to do it. A job applicant’s well-crafted online persona can serve as an asset, acting as a kind of extended resume. The employee can benefit from being googled by a company if they use their online image in the right way. In addition, the employer should consider more than just “professional skills” when hiring an employee. Even without access to the internet, an employer could ask one’s neighbors or friends if they wanted extended information about his current or potantial employees. However, if applicants choose make their information about themselves available to the world, they can hardly object when employers take that information into account when making a hiring decision.

Cons

When an employer chooses to google an employees, it can also have negative impact on the situation. Some argue, the private life of an employee has nothing to do with an employee’s professional jobs and skills. Companies should not fire a person because the manager doesn’t like his/her profile. Others would argue that a person's personal life can have a profound effect on their job performance. This disagreement can determine if you get the job depending on what the employer believes. Even worse, employers may unearth inaccurate information about his /her employees from the internet, such as same name, but different a person. Most blogs and social network profiles are personal projects. When an employer hires a person, what they want to know, should be asked in the interview. Many companies limit the interview conversation content in order to keep it objective and applicable, information off the internet may not satisfy these guidelines. Lastly, face to face relationship is more important than gooling a person.

Mistaken Identities
Mistaken identity can easily happen if two people have very similar or identical names, addresses or the same date of birth. This is a very common problem many consumers just like you face daily.The problem is made even worse because the information on file with credit reference agencies is not always complete.Everyone has the right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to have correct information held about them. It is, however, notoriously difficult to have an error removed from the credit history.It is important to examine just exactly why you would need to prove your identity. Most people take it for granted that when they contact a company or business or banking institution the information they give will be sufficient to prove they are who they say they are. But as we are only too aware these days the issue of identity theft is such that proving beyond doubt you are who you say you are is equally important. Mistaken identity are one of the pitfalls of conducting impromptu background checks on Google, Facebook and other sites. There are many people who the same or similar names and can be confused with one another on the internet. Many employers may be looking at what they think is your profile or accomplishments but could be reading about someone completely different. If that person has a less desirable persona, you may not get the job you wanted. Since employers do not have to disclose that they were researching their potential employees online, this kind of sabotage could be happening without your knowledge. Other problems include the fear of learning too much about an applicants protected status before a decision’s made. Still, online searches can reveal some helpful information. Many companies might try to use online tools, but take what they find with a grain of salt. The Privacy Rights Center is working to make it mandatory that employers must tell people who performed the background check. In the meantime, to protect yourself you have to insist on getting the name of the company before you sign an agreement to have a check run on you.

Protecting Yourself
There is no such thing as an eraser on the internet. The things you post now can have a negative (or positive) impact on your reputation in the business world. Many employers find it hard to dismiss what they read online. Young adults entering into the work force should learn how to portray a professional image through use of the internet. This generation needs to clean up their online images.

You are what you post
There are several things you can do to restore your positive image and steps you can take to prevent future damage. First, undo the damage.
 * Delete any inappropriate or unprofessional photos. No potential employer wants to see pictures of how much you drank last weekend or your provocative outfits.
 * Remove all personal entries, anything you want to keep private should not be posted on the internet.
 * Hide any material the could be deemed objectionable or deemed offensive.

Also, prevent further damage.
 * Do not let friends post incriminating IM conversations, embarrassing photos or harmful anecdotes.
 * While blogging, do so under an anonymous name, or do not post anything that will take you out of consideration for a job.
 * The way you write online can affect the way a professional may view your skills, so leave out the “lolz” and swear words and trade them in for something with a more mature tone.

You are responsible for what is posted about you, therefore it is imperative that you set up all privacy settings. This may prevent some unwanted people from viewing your information. However, these privacy settings do not keep everyone out – some companies even hire students to do the digging for them – so keep up on your content control.

Then, take control.
 * Start up a blog with your real name that chronicles your positive attributes. Record your professional growth and volunteer responsibilities.
 * Google yourself on a regular basis. This allows you to keep track of the content that appears about you online and allows you to see what the employers see.

Need Help?


New start-up companies are offering to help people manage their online identities and clean up embarrassing information. These initiatives are for people without the knowledge or time to control their online image. Celebrities have been using resources like this for a long time, and now this service is available to the public.

Naymz.com is a free resource that will help you create a profile that will be the first thing that shows up when your name is requested on any major search engine. The philosophy of the website is unique; “a good professional reputation is the key to effectively networking with other professionals.” If you can’t get rid of the bad, the best you can do is create a lot of good information about yourself to cover it up.

Another up and rising company is ReputationDefender.com. For a small fee, the professionals will dig through clients internet profiles and show them how to reshape their online persona. When the client sees something they don’t like, ReputationDefender will contact whoever has control over editing the webpage and have it removed. If they resist, ReputationDefender is ready to take legal action.

Conclusion
The Internet is a public domain, and therefore it can be used as a reference toward a potential job. This method is becoming more and more popular, and it should be anticipated that an employer would search your name on Google, if not on popular social networking websites. In this technologically advanced society, it is up to you to take responsibility and create an online persona that will have positive effects on your career. Whether or not you are aware, your name or a similar one may appear on Google, and therefore it is important to be aware what your web persona is ahead of time. Employers do not need to tell you if they have looked up your name online. It would be to your benefit to research your potential employers of career before going to an interview. Know what is shared about you on the internet and if need be, correct mistaken identities and clean up your profiles on various sites, or get the help need to do so. Your future job may depend on it.

Refrences
Greg


 * http://www.bloggersblog.com/cgi-bin/bloggersblog.pl?bblog=318062


 * http://www.fastcompany.com/fast-talk-question/fast-talk-question-googling-potential-employee-interview-fair-game-or-just-blat-0


 * http://www.searchenginejournal.com/googling-employee-names-is-not-illegal/4894/


 * http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search-essentials/Job-Applicant-Beware-Youre-Being-Go/home.aspx


 * http://ask.metafilter.com/13886/


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 * http://www.brighthub.com/internet/security-privacy/articles/6349.aspx


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 * http://career.brainbloggers.com/employers-view-facebook-and-myspace-profiles-for-potential-employees.html


 * http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/jul/16/usnews.news

YingJie
 * http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/


 * http://www.hrcapitalist.com/2008/06/googling-candid.html


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 * http://connectedness.blogspot.com/2005/11/captchas-and-googling-pros-and-cons-of.html


 * http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/05/05/21/165867.html


 * http://ezinearticles.com/?Ecommerce---The-Pros-and-Cons&id=1413185


 * http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2008/03/employers_get_o.html


 * http://searchengineland.com/protect-your-employees-online-11724.php


 * http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=9317


 * http://greenlinegroup.net/cblog/index.php?/archives/10-EMPLOYEE-GOOGLING.html

Najia


 * http://www.aboutidentitytheft.co.uk/organised-crime-identity-fraud.html


 * http://www.aboutidentitytheft.co.uk/what-can-i-do-prevent-mistaken-identity.html


 * http://www.aboutidentitytheft.co.uk/identity-theft-as-crime.html


 * http://www.aboutidentitytheft.co.uk/identity-theft-as-crime.html


 * http://www.worldofnews.com/view-2785201-Calif-Man-Killed-By-Police-In-Mistaken-Identity.html


 * http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-31-indiana-mistaken-identity_x.htm


 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistaken_identity


 * http://www.amazon.ca/Mistaken-Identity-Families-Survivor-Unwavering/dp/1416567356


 * http://www.herhighnessness.com/2004/10/easily-awed-by-cleaning-and-mistaken.html


 * http://be-jazz.blogspot.com/2007/09/mistaken-identities.html

Christine
 * http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/412592/are_you_being_googled_by_your_potential.html


 * http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/323724/displaying_personal_information_online.html?cat=31


 * http://allstarresume.com/careercenter/googling.asp


 * http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_13/b3977071.htm


 * http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search-essentials/Job-Applicant-Beware-Youre-Being-Go/home.aspx


 * http://www.brighthub.com/internet/security-privacy/articles/6349.aspx


 * http://www.studentdoctor.net/2008/04/keep-your-onlinr-persona-clean/


 * http://acceptedtocollege.com/planning/online-presence/


 * http://www.npr.org/templates/story.php?storyId=6462504


 * http://www.reputationdefender.com


 * http://www.naymz.com/about.action


 * http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/taking-care-of-your-internet-persona/