I started googling people years ago. If I met a new guy I thought I was interested in, I googled him. If I was interested in a product, I googled it. Google helped me pick my car. But with a plethora of information sources available at your fingertips, you have to wonder what those sources say about you.
This issue arose my second year in law school. In college, I was a complete nerd, so I had nothing to worry about. But in law school, I had a lot of fun. I went out a lot, I hung out a lot. I made up for college. But when it came time to apply for jobs, I was told by a very wise 3L (that is short for third-year law student) that I needed to be mindful of my image. And that I needed to take down less than flattering pictures from social websites, make my more personal information private, and encourage others to do the same. In fact, nothing about me was the best way to go.
So I combed the internet. Fortunately, the only actual page about me was about a paper I wrote in English class (and some poems, but you couldn't be sure they were mine). I felt good. Then I saw a news special about facebook pictures. I quickly made my page private. Everything matters.
And it should. The person you market to potential employers is not the same person your friends enjoy chugging beers with. You want to market a responsible and capable person. And an adult, not a college student stuck in a time warp. My advice--ditch the pictures and avoid links to stories of scandalous times. Instead, be mindful of your image and market the person you want employers (or your mom or dad) to see. You show up for an interview in a suit and tie; I doubt that is what you wear everyday. Pay the same kind of attention to your image, online and off, to ensure that when your employer researches you, they get more of what you want them to see, and less of what you don't.
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