Job Seekers Getting Googled, Volume and Relevance
April 28, 2011 
9 Comments
There’s no debating it, your online reputation will impact your ability to get a job. The facts:
- 83 percent of hiring managers and recruiters research candidates online. [Execunet, 2007]
- 70 percent of recruiters have eliminated candidates based on information they found online. [Microsoft 2009 — US, UK, France, Germany]
Not long ago, when someone Googled you, they were making a decision about you based on two factors: volume and relevance. Volume speaks to how much content there is on the Web about you — the more there is, the more people believe you have something to say. Relevance speaks to how consistent the content is with who you say you are. It answers the question, is this person relevant and compelling?
Recently, however, thanks to changes in how Google displays results, the huge rush of people to get their brands online and the way we search for people on the Web, we identified two additional factors that searchers use to evaluate the people they Google. Those factors are purity and diversity.
Purity: Now that almost everyone has jumped on the Web, there is a lot of noise. There was a time when you Googled me — “William Arruda” — and the only results were about me. I am fortunate to have a fairly unique name. (Thanks, Dad!) But now, a Google search reveals that there is a bodybuilder, a cop and a teacher who share my unique name. You have likely seen the same when you Google yourself. This creates confusion for those who want to learn about you — making it hard for them to discern what content they should associate with you.
Diversity: The diversity measure acknowledges the evolution from text-only searches to blended search. You have likely noticed when you perform a Google search that the results include the standard written content (links to blogs and Web sites and articles, for instance) along with images, video and real-time content. No longer is it enough to comment on a few blog posts, build your LinkedIn profile and publish an article to a relevant Web portal. Today, you need to ensure that that your Web content is diverse — that it includes multimedia items and your recent Twitter posts.
The next time you Google yourself, look holistically at these four measures — volume, relevance, purity and diversity — and ask yourself, “What perceptions would searchers form from reading my Google results?”
Once you are clear about your personal brand, here are three steps to enhance your online reputation:
Step 1. Understand your digital brand. You can use tools like Google, Truveo and Addictomatic, and online ID Calculator, to understand how you measure up in the four dimensions of online branding.
Step 2. Determine which of the four measures — volume, relevance, diversity or purity — needs the greatest attention (you may have a couple that could use some work).
Step 3. Depending on which areas need the most attention, apply the tips below:
- Volume enhancers: If you need more results that are about you, set up social networking profiles on many sites by editing your current branded bio and establishing accounts at naymz, ziki, ziggs and other sites.
- Relevance enhancers: To enhance relevance, where possible, remove content that is unflattering or inconsistent with how you want to be known, write an article about your area of expertise and post it to an appropriate online portal. Find blogs related to your area of thought-leadership, subscribe and comment when you have something valuable to contribute. Review books related to your area of expertise at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Publish relevant white papers to SCRIBD.com. To learn how to turn one real-world communications activity into a year’s worth of online content.
- Purity enhancers: Sign up for an account at Vizibility. The service allows you to identify the Google results that are about you and create a “Search Me” button that you can include in your e-mail signature, your LinkedIn profile, on your blog, etc.
- Diversity enhancers: Sign up for a Flickr account and post relevant images. If you don’t already have one, set up your Google profile.
Soon, you should be on your way to the volume, relevance, purity and diversity that will improve your ability to get a job.
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Categories: Career Advice, Changing Careers, College Graduates, College Students, For Recruiters, Job Hunting Strategies, Job Market, Social Media
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I do not often copy and paste an article I read online for future reference. I did with this article because I can see a lot of good uses for the information. Thanks.
Gary Gile recently posted..Why being Passionate in Your Business is Critical- and not Enough
You have just made me aware of many things I did not know….valuable information. Looks like I have some more work to do with my online image.
I am glad to hear we can remove unflattering items, that may have been put on when we were younger, and not thinking about looking for a job.
As a web self trained web developer, I Google my username; which is also my brand name, on a regular basis. I also Google my full name and variations of my name to see what is out there on me. As a self employed person, because of a company that utilized these tactics; no wonder our economy is in the tank, even the employers are playing online instead of doing their job, which is hiring the same Americans that worked for you before you knew about their personal life. I seems to me that these adults need to grow up and know that who someone is at home is not who they are at work or even in public! When my upstart takes off, I will be hiring people based on what their skills are; not what they do in their free time, as long as they can perform the job duties, then what does it matter if they are doing Jello shots from between the breasts of your receptionist on Saturday night; especially if they don’t work on Sunday? Perhaps it is that these executives are jealous because they are looking at these people having fun while they are in the office trying to find an employee looking for a person that is as boring as they are to fill the position, whether they are qualified or not. Maybe if the bosses weren’t playing on the internet then they could find qualified employees that are eager to find work in their field; if corporate America wants to turn it’s back on the American people because they now know what was going on before they knew; then perhaps the American people should turn their backs on the corporations and start creating and buying from local small business, and individuals, until all of those out of touch corporations have gone out of business and been replaced by new trusted brands in the new world of eCommerce. A place where people recognize the difference between a public life and a private life.
greyeyesgabriel recently posted..Development Update
Very interesting article. You have to keep up with what is being said about you online. Something to think about even if you are not looking for employment.
Thanks for the tips…I’m going to Google myself right now to see what comes up, and how I can enhance my own perception online.
Great article – in fact I read it the first time William Arruda had written it on either The Ladders or Marketing Profs. As a personal brand strategist I wholeheartedly agree with what he wrote here.
I am curious on just what “purity” entails. So am I to assume that it is the lack of negative publicity that is the prime measurement of category?