Your 5-point plan to improve your online reputation

Whether you are actively looking for a job, listening to the market or simply keeping an eye on things, the "web" has become a necessary step and above all a great communication tool when used wisely. You must therefore learn to master its intricacies so as not to get caught in its nets. Here are some keys to building and maintaining your online reputation with recruiters, as more and more of them rely on information circulating online.

1. Take stock .
We have all had the reflex one day of typing a person's name into a search engine to find out more about them (Americans have even invented a word for it: "googling"). Perhaps some of you have already done this when recruiting a new employee. The first step is therefore to take stock of what is said about you, by entering your first and last name into your preferred search engine, and see if it appears in the search results, but also, and above all, to know what content it is associated with. Your objective is clear: to appear in the top 10 searches and to have mainly professional content offered.

2. Be proactive and present on as many websites as possible related to your activity.
To move up in the search rankings, simply take advantage of website referencing. Thus, when you register on job sites, on the website of former students of your school or university, or on professional networks, do not neglect any information on the form. Your job title (CEO, Deputy CEO, CFO, etc.), the name of your company and its sector of activity (Food processing, Insurance, Banking, etc.), your school name or diploma, are all keywords to highlight on these sites so that your name is associated with them in search engines.

By doing so, you will fill the first search engine results with constructed, relevant and enhancing information, relegating less positive content for you to the bottom of the list. You must also, even if it may take time and prove tedious, remove any content that could harm you. Do not hesitate to ask the website(s) concerned and to appeal to the regulating body for internet users' rights (CNDP in Morocco, CNIL in France, etc.) in case of difficulty or lack of cooperation from the targeted websites.

3. Manage your photos
A CV or profile photo remains a communication tool that you can use to your advantage. Indeed, when you distribute your business cards (at a forum, an after-work event, etc.) and you have your photo on social networks, your interlocutors will recognize you more easily through your photo than by your name. That said, never forget that a photo aims to show you at your best professionally... and not personally. A CV or candidate profile photo must be taken with a neutral background so banish group photos, evening photos, wedding photos, beach photos and so on. A special mention for your Facebook profile picture because it is automatically referenced and therefore very easily accessible to recruiters.

4. Lock access to your personal data
Your personal data does not concern recruiters, so do not make photo albums related to your private life accessible. It is not necessary for a recruiter to admire your sporting achievements, or baby photos of you. Check your privacy settings when you post a photo or even a status. Change your password regularly and unsubscribe from fake friends, those people you have never met and who could use your data by copying your photos, etc. For the same reasons, do not accept relationships with people you have never met without having at least "googled" them beforehand!

5. Weigh every word you post online
You should think carefully before you speak... this is still valid online. When you post a public status, send a tweet or post news, measure and weigh each word because you don't know how it can be interpreted. How many times has a celebrity or politician seen their popularity plummet because of poorly written or out-of-context information?

All this is to say that you must, if you haven't already, take the lead because recruiters and future employers are increasingly scrutinizing every clue that will allow them to learn more about you. The internet makes and breaks reputations, but if you follow this advice, you should be able to manage yours and present an image that matches the one you want to project.

A final point: search engines regularly change their algorithms, and you are constantly leaving new traces on the internet. Managing your online reputation is not a goal, but a never-ending journey, so stay alert!

Philippe Montant CEO of ReKrute