Introduction
Companies are now taking advantage of the internet to investigate the private lives of their applicants to gain a deeper insight of their values and personality. From this virtual assessment, the company's representatives decide whether or not the applicant should be considered for the job. As a result, applicants need to be more aware of what type of image the internet displays about them and their lives, as well as what type of conclusions can be drawn from this information. In other words, it is necessary for applicants to learn about their own virtual footprint, and how they can shape it.Applicants have the responsibility and obligation to ensure that their virtual footprint portrays a positive image of them. The trick for this is to understand that you cannot control your virtual footprint to its totality. Not all the information related to you needs to be reported to you. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep track of your virtual footprint. You cannot control what others conclude about you from the information they find online, but you can try to shape the type of image that your virtual footprint portrays.
Guidelines
The following are a set of guidelines that I came up with after investigating and analyzing my own virtual footprint. These guidelines should help you keep a positive virtual footprint.Avoid having pictures that can be misinterpreted
Social networking sites, such as Facebook, that allow you and your friends to share pictures with others can have a negative effect on your virtual image. On many occasions, pictures can be misleading if the viewer was not present or does not know the story behind the pictures. When looking at your online pictures, it is a good idea to delete the ones that you feel may be misinterpreted by others. Try to get rid of pictures that could potentially become “red flags” to a company, even if these do no not contain immature behavior.
For example, people could conclude that I am a party girl based on this picture. The picture does not have any illegal/immature behavior, yet people may create faulty conclusions.
Be aware of what you post online
The way you use networking sites to communicate with others can be used to determine what type of person you are: your values, your personality, etc. Therefore, you should be careful with the things you post online. It is not a good to express negative opinions about colleagues, friends, or to use obscene language. Even if you are upset, it is not recommended to use the web to share your feelings. People say things they don’t mean while they are mad, which may also create a false negative impression of you. Also, try to avoid sharing things you did that you would not be proud of sharing with a potential employer.
For example, if you got really upset and got into a fight with someone, you should not post this on your Facebook. People ignore the events that led you to this situation, and may think you are aggressive even if you are not.
Create a professional virtual presence
One can take advantage that employers are using the internet to learn more about you by creating an online portfolio. Resumes only cover a part of your life, and by creating a professional virtual presence employers will be able to gain a deeper insight of your experiences as a student, intern, researcher, etc. Employers can also use online portfolios to confirm information that you previously provided. In addition, it shows that you can leverage technology to your advantage.
For example, having a Linked-in profile not only demonstrates your proficiency with technology but also proves that you have taken the time to create a professional virtual presence.
Strive to show good character
Since you cannot control what others conclude about yourself, it is your responsibility to ensure that your virtual footprint confirms your good judgement. In other words, try to provide positive content that will outrun the negative “flags,” which we all have.
For example, you should have pictures on your Facebook profile of you doing community service or participating in leadership activities. This a picture of the 2012 Chemical Engineering Sophomore Retreat hosted by the AIChE chapter at Texas A&M University. From this picture you can see that I like to be involved in organizations that allow me to guide other students.
Conclusion
Since the internet has made personal information available to anyone, as an applicant you need to learn how to shape your virtual footprint. You cannot control what people conclude from your virtual footprint. Therefore, it is essential to put up things on the web that portray a good image of yourself. Avoid pictures, posts, or events that can be misinterpreted, and try to provide information that confirms what you have said in resumes, interviews, etc.
