Your Online Presence

[AlexLielacher1]

Last night I googled myself and was happy to see that I pretty much own the first three pages of Google for the search term ‘Alex Lielacher’. When I say “I own” I am referring to that the majority of websites that come up with my name on them are sites that either belong to me, or for which I have written the content about me. In other words, currently, I control what is being said about me on the Internet. And so should you!

Why? Because graduate recruiters google candidates! And if not during the hiring process, then definitely during the pre-employment check process.

With the increased use of social media, blogging and pretty much every aspect of our lives moving online to some degree or another, it is important that you are the one who represents yourself online. Not someone else. Hence, I highly recommend making use of the platforms that allow you to present yourself in the light you want to be seen in, when people search for you on Google.

I recommend setting up accounts on:

• LinkedIn - Which I find comes up first for most people.
• Twitter
• Medium - Which links in with your Twitter account, hence super easy to set up.
• Freelance/job search platforms such as UpWork, AngelList, PeoplePerHour - You don’t actually need to be a freelancer, nor actually be looking for a job via these platforms. Simply use them as a tool to present yourself in a good light by making a suitable profile. But be smart about this one. If you don’t actually have any service/skill to offer, then you may want to think twice about this one.
• EzineArticles - You don’t need to churn out article after article on this blogging platform. Just create a sensible profile and perhaps write one or two pieces on topics of interest, but make sure they put you in a good light.

Also, if you could write a strong finance-related blog post, whether on a personal blog or as a guest post on someone else’s blog, and that post comes up on page one of Google, then that would be a big plus if recruiters google you!

Be careful with:

• Instagram - Best to make it private, as it comes up on google searches if you use your name as a username.
• Facebook - Check your privacy settings and make sure nothing is public that you don’t want public, for obvious reasons.
• Pinterest - If you are pinning pictures that may be conceived as inappropriate then you better not use your real name as you Pinterest username.
• Commenting on blogs & social media - if you use your real name on your social media profiles (which in my opinion you should) then think twice before you type. Comments, even on Facebook, can often pop up on Google searches so be smart about what you post and check Google here and there to see if any comments have shown up. I experience this and deleted a few of my comments that showed up.

The idea of ‘owning the first page of Google’ right now may seem a bit random to you, but wait until you become more successful and your name shows up in the media (god forbid in a bad light!). At that point you will definitely want to have at least some ownership of the content about you online.

If your name is John Smith, Markus Mueller, Mandeep Singh or have another very common name then the above doesn’t really apply to you, as you probably don’t appear on the first few pages on Google. This can be a blessing, if you prefer to stay anonymous, or a curse, if you want to create a positive personal brand online.

 

[gnalp1]

i should first get to the interview stage lol. a useful article.

 

[Fast Track1]

Very interesting hack that I hadn't thought of!

 

[Daniel Plainview1]

Great post Alex, couldn't agree more - this is a very important topic.

Banking employers want to see professionalism from their employees, and in particular, nothing that will damage the reputation of the bank. Indeed, of its 14 business principles, Goldman Sachs considers its reputation as being its most important asset. Having a squeaky clean online representation of yourself is something you'll want to maintain, not just for the benefit of your own career, but also for your employer. Having tagged photos of you drunk outside a nightclub at 4am is obviously not advisable (remember to also check your name on Google Images!).

In fact, many of my banking colleagues have actually set up their personal social media accounts set up under entirely different names, ie aliases, in order to avoid this problem. To keep your professional and personal lives separate, this may be an option to consider.

 

[AlexLielacher1]

Great post Alex, couldn't agree more - this is a very important topic.

Banking employers want to see professionalism from their employees, and in particular, nothing that will damage the reputation of the bank. Indeed, of its 14 business principles, Goldman Sachs considers its reputation as being its most important asset. Having a squeaky clean online representation of yourself is something you'll want to maintain, not just for the benefit of your own career, but also for your employer. Having tagged photos of you drunk outside a nightclub at 4am is obviously not advisable (remember to also check your name on Google Images!).

In fact, many of my banking colleagues have actually set up their personal social media accounts set up under entirely different names, ie aliases, in order to avoid this problem. To keep your professional and personal lives separate, this may be an option to consider.

Yes, google images! An easy one to slip up on, especially if your Instagram is set to public. Good point Daniel!

 

[Trigger1]

Having tagged photos of you drunk outside a nightclub at 4am is obviously not advisable

Haha this.

 

[Martin1]

Spot on, especially in this digital age where you constantly leave footprints. Especially also given the increased regulation and security these days of firms, who are more scared of reputational damage etc - so people must be aware that nothing from their past comes back to haunt them, as many politicians have been found out with old tweets etc

 

[John Peterson1]

Interesting.