To be Googled, or Not to Be Googled,
That is the question.

by Elaine Landau

Before Google™ became a verb, many of us searched for creative outlets. With the advent of the home computer, we took free online computer lessons and learned how to submit material via the Internet. With free computer learning and extensive computer software online training, computer savvy types submitted sensational, off-kilter copy, and other tomfoolery to various websites. Ezines and e-pubs welcomed edgy content. Ah, the good old days.

Today, however, some us are looking for fulltime employment. Of course, the past is in the past. Any Web submissions have probably been trashed or replaced long ago, right?

Did you ever think those days of free expression might come back to haunt us? Should you worry that a potential employer might stumble onto some of our less-than-impressive (or even embarrassing) creative submissions on the Internet?

Can you say Google?
If you are conducting a well-orchestrated job search, Google has proven to be a very effective tool when researching potential employers. We can use it to find out about companies, their histories, products, key management, board of directors, location, etc. With Google, we can pinpoint who the decision makers are and direct our resumes to the right people. No more wasting time and postage on mass mailings to anonymous companies. The days of spending hours in the local library reading dry annual reports are over. Thanks to Google.

Job seekers are not the only people utilizing Google. Employers are aggressively employing Google searches to find out more about applicants. Many times, Human Resources directors will Google the names of top applicants, to secure a more complete history for each potential employee. The results are sometimes surprising, and not in a good way. If that job-hunter enjoyed the good old days of wistful web expression and out-and-out buffoonery on the Internet, those obsolete submissions may well come back and bite him right on his aspirations.

What Have They Got on You?
If you are serious about finding a new job, you should be equally serious about making sure your online profile reflects the real you. How? Google yourself. Find out what every Tom, Dick, and Harry can find out if they Google your name. If you ever submitted any kind of material to a Website, it will very likely be found with a single Google search of your full name. If the material reflects the real you, that is great. It will give an instant snapshot of your personality to any potential employer.

Unfortunately, some archival submissions are reposted out of context. A line of copy, cartoon, or photograph could have an entirely different meaning today than it did when you initially submitted it. You have no control over a current Website editor’s use of your material.

If your past submission provides insight into the way you were, and not your current politics, humor, marital status, etc., you may want to find a way of putting that slice of life into the trash ASAP. How?

What Does the Future Hold?
None of us has a crystal ball. A present-day Website editor may use archival material that you submitted years ago as present-day content. As long as the site owns your material, they can use it at any time. So how can you find out if old content is being reposted? Take the initiative and set up a Google Alert on your full name and any pen names that you may have used in the past. It will make it easier to stay updated on any material that could pop up in future Google searches of your name.

If you Google your name, and objectionable or embarrassing items are revealed, contact the Website. Ask that the offensive material (photo, art, copy, etc.) be removed. Unless your material is integral to the workings of the site itself, there should be little or no resistance to having it removed. If the Website takes its time removing the content, continue to contact them until it is no longer part of the site content. If you are smart enough to take the time to find the dated, inappropriate material, be diligent enough to have it removed before anyone else (especially potential employers) finds it too.

Google This
This article may have raised a few eyebrows. Freedom of expression is sacred. Why recommend people edit their own Web submissions?

This writer is by no means suggesting that you edit your history. If you are proud of everything you have ever submitted to any Website, then relax. A Google search of your name will help serve to enlighten any curious employer.

Just know that, in my humble opinion, some potential employers might not think it’s a feather in your cap to be featured in “Accountants Gone Wild.”

Google is a trademark of Google, Inc., registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.

About the Author:
Elaine Landau has been a writer for more than 15 years. Her experience includes being a Website editor, writer of television sitcoms, children’s shows, and films, publicity writer, and public relations specialist.

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