I have a confession to make. I Google myself. In fact, I’ve been doing it for years. (Well, in the early days of the Internet, it was probably using Lycos.) And in recent years, prospective employers have started doing it too. It didn’t occur to me that someone would do an internet search on a potential employee until I was working a temporary job two years ago and was partially involved in the hiring and training process of the new employee.
I was somewhat astonished.
Even though the Internet is a large, open encyclopedia of information – and misinformation – it struck me as almost sneaky that someone would Google my name to find out any possible dirt on me.
Fortunately, my internet presence is pretty clean (if you’ve read my previous article on Internet Privacy you know why), but I still wonder what a potential employer thinks when they Google me.
The first thing that comes up is this blog. Hi, Hiring Managers! The second thing to come up is my LinkedIn profile. No problems there. The third thing that comes up is some photos taken by Tracy Kolenchuk of me performing music at the Edmonton Fringe in 2007. It was a fun 10-day gig. The next thing of any significance that comes up is a Facebook profile…that isn’t mine.
I discovered a couple of months ago that I wasn’t the only one on this earth with the same combination of first and last names. I’ve known for years that I’m not the only Amity, although it is an unusual first name. However, I’ve now discovered that there are at least two others who also share my last name. (One of them lives in Indiana, and the other has a private profile – smart girl – so I don’t know where she might live.) Then there’s someone who shows up on Bebo, another social networking site that I’ve never used. Since my last name is listed differently on Facebook, I can preserve some anonymity there. I also have a private profile. But now I have an odd situation. With a very unusual first name, will employers mistake the other A.M. for me?
Fortunately, in my case, there’s nothing incriminating on the internet about me. Unless, of course, you consider being a part-time freelance musician incriminating. Perhaps some employers might. Others might consider it “well-rounded”. I’m never sure. (I tend to play up my military training and experience on my résumé because I find it has more corporate substance behind it, however, I was told by one potential interviewer that he was less likely to hire me because of it. He felt I’d be too inflexible. Apparently following the rules is inflexible.)
Another thing to consider is how are the hiring managers approaching their internet searching of a potential employee? If I have someone’s name as a contact for a company, I go to LinkedIn and search there. If I can’t find anything, I’ll do a search on Google. I’m looking for a couple of things: how long has the contact been with the company, and what’s their experience/role in the company. It helps me research the company and provide a better résumé as a result.
If a Facebook profile shows up, I don’t check it. I really don’t need – or want – to know if they even have a public profile or not. It’s really none of my business. And – I take everything I read on the Internet with a grain or several of salt, especially if it’s something potentially incriminating…or sounds a little too perfect.
So this presents the flip side to the responsibility being on us to keep our internet presence appropriate. There also needs to be some discretion on the part of the searcher. Just because there is a car accident on the other side of the road doesn’t mean you should go out of your way to gawk at it. In fact, unless you can provide first aid where none is being provided, it’s really none of your business what’s going on. This is much the same for the availability of information on the internet. My advice to Google-happy hiring managers – feel free to Google me, but keep your searching professional.
Amity M thinks you should Google yourself, especially if you’ve never done it before. You might like it.
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