Cleaning up digital dirt is within your reach if you are deciding to play in the virtual sandbox. While you may think you have a pristine reputation on the web you may want to check out these tips to give you piece of mind. Savvy recruiters conduct microscopic internet searches on GOOGLE by punching in your name to understand your personal brand prior to picking up the phone to source your interest.

Simple tips to help you check and manage your digital dirt start by:

1. Researching your name on the web. Just because you may have posted years ago does not mean your name is free from a tarnished online reputation. If you have a common name, you may likely be sharing it with a celebrity with a bad rap. An easy way to check your online personal branding reputation is by accessing www.SocioClean.com and www.Reputation.com.  Both of these sites will help you clean-up your act if you have any unflattering baggage haunting your past.

2. Maintaining your online communication by posting constructive comments and productive information. If you do share a name with an unflattering celebrity, you may want to think about adding your middle initial to your online presence.

3. Actively stay involved by creating a strong personal brand that shines with brilliance. Many executives are operating under a false premise that being vague with their information and withholding a profile photo is a standard for success. FALSE!  A person’s click through rate increases 40X on Linkedin.com just by including a photo. Headhunters and recruiters want to see real executives with real faces.

4. Allowing your personality to engage others with productive comments and statements will build a credible online reputation.  Refraining from posting actually creates an image of cowardly leadership.  Executives today MUST get out from behind their desks and engage with the front line.  Stockholders also want to see who is responsible for their financial investments.

By now you may be thinking, you have no digital dirt because you never even turn on your computer other than to check the stock market.  WRONG!!! Unhappy employees may not be speaking up in the workplace for fear of retaliation. However, they will most likely speak up using your name on the web. This too may contribute to your digital dirt.

When all is said and done, cleaning up UGLY begins with YOU.

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