The other day I was at a school interview with my daughter when she was asked a question. At first, I was surprised but then I realised how pertinent the question is in today’s society. The question went somewhat like this: “In this day and age, it’s inevitable that you are part of generation who is using social media and other technologies more and more as a popular way of communicating. There will undoubtedly be a historical trail of your communication out in cyberspace. Is there anything we may find about you online that does not align with our school and its values?”

After processing the question in my mind, I accepted that this can also be asked by interviewers trying to assess a person’s background and values. While the new digital era has brought with it many advantages, these come at a cost and that cost is increasingly compromised privacy. In fact, your digital footprint is not as unreachable to others as you might think. Information such as videos, images, emails attachments, profiles and registrations, which are transmitted online, are easily accessed by others online. This leads me to the question: For a job seeker today, how important is ensuring their online behaviour does not jeopardise their chances of success when trying to secure new opportunities? The answer is: it’s extremely important.

It is inevitable that employers will seek out whatever tools are available to them to gather as much information about job seekers as they can. So, you can imagine the potential this has in determining how a person is perceived! For this reason, it is important for all workers to be mindful of their digital reputation when posting on social media, registering on sites and even their viewing behaviour on professional sites such as Linkedin. On the flipside, there is enormous potential to enhance and nurture our profiles to engage, promote and develop personal and professional attributes.

There have been many occasions where I have come across social media profiles, including professional Linkedin accounts of people, where the profile image was, let’s say “less than professional!” It surprises me how, in these cases, there is clearly not much thought given to how potentially damaging such a profile can be to an individual’s chances of success in their next career move. Let’s face it, our online presence is our own “digital billboard” so it is extremely important that we pay attention to how we could be perceived.

There are a few things that can be done to check and ensure that your online presence is in good order. Check your footprint by searching all different variations of your name. Ensure you distinguish your online behaviour from how you may choose to behave in private, particularly when expressing ANY potentially controversial opinions or views.

As the saying goes “A picture tells a thousand words” and it’s easy to be judged on your profile image, rightly or wrongly. So, be careful that your images are not offensive to others or give off an undesirable impression of yourself. Ensure you use your real name and not hide behind fake identities that could compromise your character and/or put you in an illegal position. The same goes for having limited or no online presence, which can potentially be as damaging as having an inappropriate profile!

With so much of our lives consumed in the digital world, it has never been more important to take note of our online presence and the permanent impact it can have on our reputation.