Do potential employers Google your name?

[Tuumble]

...and if so does it affect your chances of being shortlisted?

[cdn2wheeler]

Happens all the time. Facebook profiles are mined regularly by HR departments. Whether if affects one's employment chances are somewhat dependent on the organization and the job.

There's an interesting discussion about that here.

[Tayrak]

I've heard the same thing, they do google you. Guess you should never put anything in writing unless you don't mind someone seeing it. They have a new program out that supposedly can make all those crude, selfish remarks disappear. Don't remember what it is, probably if you Google it...

[NotesMaeve]

Yes, but won't do them any good on me. I have a super common name, no MySpace, and no Facebook.

[lifequest]

For that reason, I don't use MySpace, Facebook, or any other thing like that. I'm in a field where personnal and professional credibility are important. Let's just say that I prefer to keep my private life and thoughts, well, private. What I do for fun, the activities I enjoy outside of work, they concern me and my friends and family, and not the whole web community. I don't know about you guys, but if I was a boss, and I had to hire an employee, yes, I would google the person's name to see what comes up.

I also google my own name once in a while, to see if it comes up somewhere it's not supposed to. It may sound silly, but there is case in the US (I saw it on 20/20 a while back) where a guy had put up a web site where he explained how he would kill a girl he knew. The site was up for a year, and nobody reported it to the police... Let's just say the girl is now dead, and the police had enough evidence to convict the guy when they ceased his computer... Real freaky.

I also know a case where a girl at my college had her picture and coordinates put up on a dating site with very sexual suggestive things in the profile. It was done by someone else, the main hypothesis was that it could have been a guy she turned down and who decided to get even with her, but nobody knows really how it ended up there.

So bottom line, don't post anything embarrassing, especially on facebook and myspace, and check once or twice a year if someone else has posted something embarrassing on you... It takes only a minute or two.

[Kylark]

They may, but so what if they do?

Please see this comic: Dreams

[Tuumble]

They wouldn't do it if it didn't help assess someones suitability. For me I'm beginning to regret joining myspace and facebook as I'm fairly relaxed about what do and don't say.

I have a rare name and know of only one other person with it so it's pretty easy to track me down.

I want to be able to relax and have fun online and not have to be on my best behaviour all the time.

Will have to have a think about where I go from here.

[cdn2wheeler]

Originally Posted by Tuumble

They wouldn't do it if it didn't help assess someones suitability.

You're making an assumption that HR folk actually are looking for the right person for the job.

In my experience - 30 years worth - that's not the case at all. They're generally looking for the cheapest widget to fill the spot and to get that widget as easily as possible.

In any case, simply delete your profiles if you're concerned. No biggie.

[Jennihul]

There are three people in the US with my name. If my posted opinions affect their hiring, I don't want to work there.

Jennifer

[mellom]

I actually had a potential client Google me before my phone interview. He was quite open about it. It actually increased my marketability because the blog (my first one) was about technology in general, so it was in a good light. However, I would not recommend a MySpace/Facebook type site where you post and talk about your personal life.

There's just too much information for potential employers to digest before you get to the interview process. Better play it safe.

[ken nubo]

The solution is to use a pen name for yourself on facebook, myspace and the rest of the internet

[Brutha]

I have a google alert on my name.