Clean Up Your Digital Dirt -- Or at Least Sweep It Under the Rug

We are working with a resume client who has a dilemma that could destroy her job search. She is concerned that if her name is Googled, potential employers will find out about a DUI arrest from years ago. Sure enough, after Googling her name, a related newspaper story appears as result No. 3. Even though she was found not guilty and the case was dismissed, the news reports are sticking around to haunt her -- and this could be hindering her job search.

More and more employers are using search engines as part of their screening process and eliminating applicants if they find "digital dirt." While news stories about arrests are an extreme example, there are many other types of digital dirt -- such as compromising photos, negative press or even posts from old message boards or blogs -- that you wouldn't want employers to see. Just about any Web page that includes your name can be indexed by the search engines. 

The good news is that you can take control of the search results. Start by entering your name in the search engines to see what results appear, and prepare for damage control if dirt is found:  

Eradicate the Bad: It's not always possible to have pages removed from the Web, but it's worth a try. Contact the publisher of unwanted content and ask nicely to have the page edited or removed. If you're not able to get results, consider a paid service such as Reputation Defender to help you remove unwanted information. 

Add in the Good: This is where a little elbow grease goes a long way. The key is to add positive pages that rank higher in the search results and push the unwanted results lower. Create a blog and personal Web site that showcase your industry expertise. Clean up your social networking profiles on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and make sure the content is professional and reflects your personal brand. If you are using these sites to hobnob with your friends, modify the privacy settings to ensure that pages aren't indexed by the search engines. Google offers tools that can help you create positive content. For example, you can bid on keywords for your name that will place you in the paid search results using Google AdWords. Create a Google Profile, which will get your name, picture and anything else you want to share at the bottom of the first page of results.

Do you have any tips to help clean up digital dirt? If so, please leave a comment so we can all benefit. Check out these resources for more advice on cleaning up your digital dirt:

·   How to Clean Up Your Online Reputation

·   Keep Your E-Image Clean

·   Refine Your Online Image

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Kim Isaacs is the Monster Resume Expert and director of ResumePower.com

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