Nearly everyone has an online identity nowadays. Most people don’t even realize that they have one. Many people have public facebook accounts, twitter accounts, tumblrs, blogs, and the list goes on. Without realizing they post things there that they might not otherwise say in their offline day-to-day lives.

Most of the people who have accounts don’t actively “brand” themselves or at least not intentionally. Why should they? I know I don’t. I am who i am online and offline. Just like Amber from the article, I post things online that I do not mind other people seeing. If i do not want someone to see it or comment on it, i simply won’t post it. This is not the case for a lot of people because they don’t realize this. What’s worse is that employers will look into these things. They will google you or search for you on facebook to see what kind of person you are.

There tend to be 5 Things Employers Look for When They Google You. They first look for “Character Cues.” They will look at a profile picture and see if it’s classy or obnoxious and get a little insight as to how you present yourself.  Next they may look at the “Size of Your Digital Persona.” If they google you and find nothing, they may take it negatively. It may not count against you, but they may think you’re trying to hide something or just don’t socialize. Afterwards they may look for your “Online Portfolio.” If they google you and see yourname.com that will make you look a lot better. It shows how relevant you are and that people are looking for you, you’re in demand. Another thing they can do is look for “Supporting Documentation” by googling you. This can help them determine how accurate or embellished your resume is. Last and probably least they can google your name to look for References. This is very unlikely as most people would not put up public references unless they are running some kind of business.

All of these things are true and happen. However, I do not like it and completely disagree with it. Employers have been know to ask for people’s facebook account passwords so they can see their activity and what kind of person they are. I have been asked this at an interview once and walked out. I refuse to work at a place where they want such control over you and show so little trust. I do not think it’s ethical to pry into the lives of other people so much. I feel as though it’s okay to google a name of a person and if they have publicly available information (usually a twitter) then sure, look at it. If you see the person is hugely obnoxious and acts like a moron don’t hire them. However, it’s wrong to go beyond that. Private lives are private and personal matters should not spill over into your work life. Everyone, including employers, always says not to mix work and play and this would be just that.
5 Things Employers Look for When They Google You
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaelprice/5-things-employers-look-google-job-search_b_5486074.html