“Recruiters use Internet searches to avoid major red flags, but it is just another assessment of a person,” says the anonymous blogger known as Your HR Guy. He adds, “My general view on Internet searches is that, for most positions, ignorance is bliss. Most of what is online for a majority of workers is personal, and most workers personal stuff [doesn’t play a role at work].”
I believe the whole fear of being Googled has been drastically overstated. I’ve Googled people before because they mentioned a band they were in or they were part of a professional association I’ve never heard of. That sometimes turns up something more interesting but I’ve simply never had the reason to discontinue recruiting someone due to the dirt found online.
There is something out there called Reputation Defender that was mentioned in the article. I can’t even begin to describe the issues it brings up but I think it is fun that you can remove unwanted content for just a little under $30. So if an acquaintance posts a picture of me doing non-stop keg stands last weekend and he calls me “totally weak” for asking him to take it down, I can sic Reputation Defender on him and get it removed?
The funny thing is how adamant they are about not doing searches for Human Resources departments. They’ve probably already licensed the product to a background search firm anyway (if it hasn’t already been developed).
Lance Haun - Writer and Consultant on Work Tech 