1. Career Services at Villa Maria
Digging up Dirt
Career Services at Villa Maria

2. What’s In Your Profile? • Has anyone ever googled their name before?
• What popped up?
• Did you feel comfortable with everything you saw on your profile?

3. Don’t Be An Online Twit
Popular social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter has allowed free access of personal and professional data.
Employers are looking at what you are posting and are making judgments, which may be inaccurate about you before they even meet you!!
Is there anything you wouldn’t want your future employer to see on any of your social media websites?
More and more employees are using social media as a way of profiling individuals before they even give them an interview. What this means is that you are being judged by an employer before they even talked to you or met with you because they are seeing what you post, what you comment, what videos and photos you are posting. This is why it is very important to clean up your profiles to make sure that you are posting professional posts and are not showing yourself in a negative light.

4. Take It Offline
Do not post negative comments about past/present/future employers, jobs, co-workers, and clients
Never post inappropriate or questionable photos and videos
Drinking habits or going partying are unacceptable to post
Offensive language, crude humor, or images should never be posted
One suggestion would be to take the negative information off of your social media pages.
WE have all had job that we dislike and make us so miserable to go to, but posting anything bad about this workplace will not make you look like a serious candidate because you are not getting along with the coworkers or following the instructions given to you with a positive attitude.
You may think that in the moment a situation is funny and post offensive language about it or post funny photos of drinking with your friends, but all of this information makes you look very bad and unprofessional. Sure, you want to have a fun time, but social media is not the place to advertise it.

5. Avoid Digital Dirt
• Use the internet to your favor by creating a profile website that showcases your accomplishments and skills. Link your social media websites to your website • Blog to highlight your writing skills • Highlight your hobbies and interests that can work to your advantage • Include a link to your resume or job search documents • Create YouTube videos that showcase your work • Make sure there is no spelling or grammar issues on your website •Try Googling your name and seeing what others may see about you!
How do you avoid this situation from happening?
Instead of using the internet to rant about your days events, create a profile website that showcases your accomplishments and skills. You can also link your social media to you website and link your resume or job search documents to the website so employers can see your professionalism
You can also create a blog to showcase your writing skills, and create YouTube videos that highlight your work. Basically, any place where you can show off your personality and strengths will be beneficial.
Make sure there is no spelling and grammar issues on your website as well.
Google your name often to make sure that you like what you see about yourself

6. Finding Digital Dirt Before Employer
Internet searches
Social media searches
Public record searches
Credit Checks
Employment History Checks
Educational History Checks
How can I find my digital dirt before my employer does??
Internet searches where you look up every variation of your name in search engines not limited to google will show you the positive and negative information that may affect your chance of getting the job.
Social Media searches
Sure, everyone has posted an ill-advised post before. It is best to go through posts and photos to delete or protect what you have on your account.
Public Records searches have to be conducted through databases such as criminal records and tax records. This information is found when the employer conducts a background check on the employer. To search for this, you can look at the public government databases in your county and state and see what they say about you.
Credit checks, are sometimes looked at by employers, so it is important in the future to make sure that your credit scores are good.
Employment history checks are looked at by employers, so it is always good to know what past employers would say about you. The relationship you have with your employers now will reflect what kind of relationship you have in the future. It helps to call HR to see what they will be telling future employers.
Education checks are also looked at, so it is important to have your transcipts and what you put on your resume match.