As a job seeker, you have to consider the fact that, as easy as it was for you to find out about your future employer online, it’s almost as easy for them to find out about you. It has become extremely routine for employers to use the Internet to look up information about potential candidates, and you need to consider that as you post Tweets, pictures, and comments while creating your own online presence. In other words- take care with your online reputation.

1. Be careful what you post. This may seem easy, but many people still don’t think about it. If you party too hard, your friend takes pictures and tags you, someone may be able to find them and get the wrong idea. Additionally, if you engaged in youthful behavior during a phase (joined a political group, got a tattoo that you now regret), that may be on the web as well. In some cases, you can ask the creator of the content to take it down — you can even do this with major search engines like Google in some cases. If it’s something on Facebook, either ask your friend to untag you or, if you created the post, you can delete it. Just think of this: If you don’t want employers to see this part of your life because it paints you in an unsavory light, don’t put it online.

2. Make a positive online presence. If you do have social media accounts, make sure you have things posted that will make you look your best. As someone looking for a job, LinkedIn is a great place to have employers see where you’ve worked in the past and what you did there. Be sure to fill in your profile as much as possible so anyone looking can see what positions you have held and duties you performed. (You can also customize your public profile URL on LinkedIn to make it easier for people to find you — some online resumes even ask for a specific link to such a profile.) Sites such as Facebook and Twitter can give a future employer an idea of your thoughts, plus you can link to sites and articles you find interesting, especially ones in the same field you’re looking to work in.

If you don’t have time to go as far as creating and updating your own website or blog, you can always write comments or even full posts on sites you respect and want others to know about. Again, LinkedIn is a great place to find groups associated with companies and fields you’re interested in both locally and nationally.

3. Make sure you update everything. With your social media sites, make sure you do keep posting. If you have a blog or a Twitter feed but never use it, that won’t help craft your image. But if you make sure you let everyone know when you get a new job, read something interesting in your line of work, comment on a website that connects to your career, or go somewhere that helps you learn something, the record of it will be there, and an employer will get to see who you are and what’s important to you.

Much of the world is online today for good or ill. You can control your reputation in it if you take these steps so others can see your best online presence. For more tips on how to create a good online reputation, reach out to the experienced recruiting team at PrideStaff LA Culver City for guidance and advice.