We all have had one of those moments where we’ve said something completely offhand, without considering the possible results. While this may lead to a lowered image among our friends, co-workers, or family, it is often forgiven in time, or at least forgotten. Improving Your Image May Improve Your Prospects, lets see how much it is true.
When that same mistake is made online, we just may have to turn to reputation repair companies to fix the problem. While you may be thinking “What is one little mistake going to do to my online reputation?” this is an error you may not wish to make.
Can My Online Folly Affect My Offline Livelihood?
The answer to this is a resounding yes. While you may not think those wild college party pictures can harm you by being posted on a friend’s Facebook account, you may find out later on that you’ve already lost a job or two thanks to those images.
We live in the world of online search engines and nosey neighbors, which means that prospective employers are Googling candidates to see exactly how honest they’ve been about their values when writing their resume. Imagine the reaction when they see those images from a party and compare such behavior to the religious, hard-working and moral image you’ve claimed to possess on your resume.
Now put yourself in that employers shoes and ask yourself, would you hire such a candidate who has such a contrasting set of qualities, those they’ve claimed, and those they’ve been found to truly possess? The answer is most likely no, or it should be.
How Can I Correct What I May Already Have Done To Ruin My Reputation?
While it is possible to go about to every single website, requesting the removal of images and quotes that include you within them, this process is time consuming and often very frustrating. However, this step must be done in order to repair the damage that has been done and avoid future consequences.
Another option is to contact a reputation management company who specializes in cleaning up the internet traces you’ve left behind inadvertently. Most of these companies will do the majority of the footwork for you, having images removed, posts deleted and many other incorrect uses of your name corrected.
The results of these services vary, but the effect upon the results when searching for your name can make all the difference to your reputation. This process helps to ensure the next possible employer is not bombarded with quotes and images that do absolutely nothing for your professional image.
Will This Kind Of Service Help My Business Too?
Most certainly, these types of clean up services can definitely help businesses who have run into problems with false postings and other defamatory content. Businesses are built upon their reputation and therefore should be just as watchful of what is being posted online about them.
If they find any kind of unfair postings, out-of-date listings, or other incorrect or defamatory information, they will most certainly want to either correct the problem themselves or contact a reputation repair service to aide in cleaning up any mess that has been created.
Always remember, our reputation is what people rely on to judge whether we will be a good candidate for a job or even a loan. This means we need to protect our reputations and ensure our image is as good as our words claim.
About The Author
