I’ve debated the ethics and reasoning with readers, but the hard truth is that potential employers will google your name during your application and interview process.  Get over it - and prepare for it now.

The MN Headhunter points to a recent NBC Nightly News story - “Employers Digging Up Dirt Online” *  - which asserts 77% of recruiters have used search engines to uncover information about candidates and 35% of recruiters have eliminated a candidate based on information found online.  In the technical industry, I’d imagine those percentages are even higher.

I still maintain that most recruiters “dig” to find as much “good dirt” as dirty dirt.  As a recruiter, I always googled my candidates – but my intention was not to uncover bad nuggets.  I did it to help further complete a profile of the person.  A resume only highlights one side, and I wanted to find out who the whole person really was.  And 99% of the time, I found only good information which assisted me in better understanding my candidates and building a deeper rapport.  And, well, now I google my jobseeker clients so I can give them a heads-up on what questions to anticipate post-googling. :)

But reasons aside … the point of this blog entry is to impress upon you that, yes, you likely will be googled, and to give you a few tips to prevent future sticky situations:

1. Google yourself.  Go on.  Do it.  Put your name inside and outside of quotes.  You should also set up a Google Alert to keep tabs on new information.
2. ID your doppelgangers.  Be on the look-out for people with your same name and especially those with similar interests … like a similar professional, geographic, or educational background.  More than likely, these are the people you’ll be confused with.
3. Remove what you can.  If you find unsavory information that a potential employer would not find nearly as amusing, remove it – if you can.  If it’s on your own site, use your best editorial judgment.  If it’s on a friend’s site, request edits. 
4. Prepare your talking points.  Now that you've seen the material a recruiter may find, anticipate question and prepare responses.  If you feel there’s information out there that will undeniably damage you but can easily be explained (like a doppelganger or blatant libel), proactively bring up these issues with your recruiter.  She’ll appreciate your candor.  Just say, “I’ve heard that recruiters often search potential candidates’ names on the internet.  I wanted you to know that there is some information connected to my name that is not true / not in reference to me, and I wanted to alert you to it before you found it.”
5. Be cautious in the future.  Now you are in the know – so think before you post.  And if you enjoy blogging your opinions (nothing wrong with opinionated bloggers!), make sure you have a disclaimer which states your opinions are subject to change and do not reflect the opinions of your employer.  And if you are currently a student … be careful with what you post on myspace or facebook!  I have a baaaaaaad feeling about the grief myspace-crazy students will experience when they launch into the workforce in a couple years.

Good luck ... and keep it clean! :)

gretchen

* Edit 6/12:  The NBC link no longer works, but Steven Rothberg (who was interviewed for the piece) includes a link to the story on his blog.