Clean Up Your Google Search Results Before Applying for a Job Heres How

Clean Up Your Google Search Results Before Applying for a Job Heres HowClean Up Your Google Search Results Before Applying for a Job - Heres How When applying for a job, youre really giving a relative stranger permission to stalk you online.In fact, 90 percent of hiring managers use Google search results when considering executive hires, according to 2012 research from ExecuNet .But what if you dont like what comes up when people Google your personenname?What if you have a common nameand cant distinguish yourself? Or, worse, what if you share a name with a drug dealerwhos in the nachrichtensendung mora often than you are?Thankfully, you can turn Googles search results in your favor when youre applying for a job .You might feel strange about searching your name on Google.But consider this A Harris Interactive survey , paid for by online reputation firm BrandYourself, said 75 percent of U.S. adults have searched for themselves online.A more important number 48 perce nt of them said most of their results werent positive.When searching your name, sign out of your Google account or use a private-browsing window that hides your location. Youll want to see what strangers see.Beyond confirming your credentials, company human resources managers are likely to search for you online to make sure no red flags exist. A silly tweet or a college Facebook picture, for example, could cost you an interview or job offer.Thankfully, Google - and other popular websites populating your content in its search results - allow you to limit what you share on the web.First, decide how much personal information you want to share by visiting Googles privacy center . You can control what others see on your aboutme.google.com page.Be careful about sharing your date of birth, telephone number, and address - all of which Google typically wont removefrom search results. For example, sharing your age with an employer might affect how a potential employer perceives your experi ence level (although you should know that this is illegal discrimination ).Fortunately, Google will removethe following from search results. Some of it wont affect your job application but will affect your vulnerability to fraudAnytime you submit this kind information to an unsecured website, it could end up in search engines.The first step toward removing sensitive information or unflattering images that have been shared without your consent is to contact the webmaster of the website sharing it.Google can only stop this content from showing up in search results it cant remove it from the internet.If a website has deleted the content in question but its still showing up in Google search results, you can use the search engines quick tool to make a formal removal request .If, on the other hand, the webmaster isnt responsive or wont grant your request, youll need to provide the following to GoogleGoogles troubleshooter can guide you through these steps.Off-putting search results can a lso come straight from your social media accounts .Depending on where youre applying for a job, you might elend want social media updates and blog posts to be public. A would-be engineer, for example, might prefer to promote their carefully curated LinkedIn page, but keep their oft-political Twitter account out of the spotlight.Thankfully, the following platforms (and others like them) make it simple to remove or strengthen their ranking in your search results.WordPress Under the Reading settings, you can choose whether you want your blog or website included in search engine results.Facebook In privacy settings, you can select whether you want your profile page included in search results.Even if you hide your profile from the web, you might still want to restrict access to other Facebook users. A hiring manager with their own account could find you using the search bar, skipping Google altogether.Twitter Differentiating your Twitter name and username from your professional name wi ll eventually remove the account from Google search results, according to Twitter .Protecting your tweets with a password will also stop search engines like Google from cataloging them. If your newly-protected tweets still show up in search, theres recourse.Paste a link to the questionable tweet in Googles quick removal tool . (If youre not sure if you have damaging tweets, you can have Twitter send you a link to download your archive for inspection.)LinkedIn You cancheck boxes to select who can view certain aspects of your public profile.Thats how you can manage your networking profiles that show up in search results.How you improve them is mostly about common sense.Youll likely find, for example, that your headshot on any one of these platforms will come up as a top Google Images result. So pick a professional one.If youre fresh out of college, you might even want to consider creating separate accounts on these platforms that can be used when applying for a job. Thats just one of the things that recent grads can do to score a first job .Erasing negative search results is one thing. Creating a positive set of results is another exercise, and it might require more effort.Here are four quick tips to boost positive search results when applying for a job.Even if you dont have a professional purpose (or a personal desire) for a self-titled website, reserve your domain name to keep someone else from abusing it. Thats especially true if you have an uncommon first and last name.If your name is shared by many other professionals around the globe, consider distinguishing yourself. James Smith, for example, could have an easier time showing up as James O. Smith. If you switch monikers, make sure to be consistent with it on all your job application materials .When creating a website or blog, implement basic search engine optimization practices. Include the keywords youd like to rank for- Student Loan Hero Andy, for example.Linking your website to your social media acco unts will also help Google connect the dots of who you are and how you want to be represented online.If youre like most people and skip past websites terms of conditions and privacy policies, follow a safe rule of thumb Only post content to websites that allow you to set your privacy preferences. Otherwise, what you share with your friends could be shared more widely than you think.You can do a lot of cleaning up of your online presence at home. But if you prefer professional help, that option exists.Scroll through website services like BrandYourselfand Reputation Xto see what they can do for you.Just be sure to review their free resources before agreeing to pay for something you could do yourself.You dont need to feel silly about searching for yourself online. Its the only way to discover results you might not want to share with your next employer .To be even more proactive about your digital footprint, set up a Google alertwith your name. This way, youll be notified via email w hen your first and last name hitthe web.Anything you say or do can be used against you in a limitless, 24-hour-a-day digital space that isnt known to be forgetful.Keep this in mind when marketing yourself and applying for a job. Then consider these expert tips for landing a better job .This article originally appeared on Student Loan Hero .