So you just
graduated from law school and you’re ready to start looking for your first job
as an attorney. But wait! What about all those photos of you on Facebook,
MySpace and Flickr? Have you been
keeping a “controversial” blog or flaming people on forums during your college
years or even afterwards? If you
have unflattering information about yourself online, below are a few tips on
cleaning up your online image:
1.
Goggle
yourself and find out what comes up.
A matter of fact, don’t just use Google, use other search engines such
as Yahoo to cover your bases. You
want to look for photos, videos and text that could send the wrong message to
potential employers and immediately remove them.
2.
Search
any social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace for any photos of you
which may be not only unprofessional but portrays you in a bad light. Photos that show you drunk, scantily
dressed or being in anyway rude or inappropriate should be removed.
3.
When
attempting to remove photos you may need to go to a friend or acquaintance and
ask them to remove the photo. If, for whatever reason they refuse to remove the
photo, Facebook will allow you to at least “untag” yourself from the photo.
4.
Be
careful who you befriend on Facebook or any other social networking site. Having “friends” who post rude or
inappropriate comments on your page could be a turn off for the potential
employers.
5.
Privatize
personal blogs, Twitter accounts and Flickr pages. You may even want to consider using a pseudonym when
blogging about anything not work related on the internet. When it comes to your personal views
and your personal life you want to give employers minimal access.