Check Your Internet Presence and Tech Tips

Job Seekers: Check Your Internet Presence

If you're looking to change jobs or seeking your first position, it is vital to perform a self-audit of your internet presence. Experts estimate that 77 percent of employers perform internet searches before sending out invitations for interviews, so you should assume that you'll be Googled. The question is, will they like what they see? To perform a self-audit, answer the following questions:

1. Is an accurate, up-to-date resume available online and does it match the one you've sent to employers?
2. Upon Googling yourself, is there content that embarrasses you?
3. Does your search find negative information about someone with a similar or the same name? If so, inform the prospective employer at the interview. For each social media site on which you participate, would you be upset if a prospective employer saw your:
   1. Profile
   2. Status/tweets
   3. Groups
   4. Friends' comments
   5. Photos
4. If you have a blog or personal website, are you comfortable with the content from a prospective employer's point of view?

Also, is your email address [email protected] or something silly, like [email protected]? It's an easy fix to create a professional email address.

If you are not satisfied with your internet presence, develop a game plan. For information that you control, the task is easy as you can take down anything that is problematic. For information that you do not control, you will have to locate the webmaster and politely ask that he or she remove the information. However, you should be aware that unless the information is illegal or violates your privacy, the webmaster may choose to ignore your request. Check out Google's Removal Information for more details.

TechTips: Four FREE Meeting Scheduler Apps

Using Outlook to book meetings and deadlines works fine for internal scheduling. But what about trying to schedule a meeting with external attendees such as clients, vendors or outside counsel? Yes, you can send multiple emails and cross your fingers that a mutually agreed upon date will emerge without too much back and forth. Or instead you could use a free meeting scheduler app. The beauty of such apps is that they are compatible with your calendar and they do not limit your invitees.

Oh, and did we mention they are all free?

1. Calendly is easy to use and set-up is simple. It integrates with Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, and Office 365. Automatically syncs scheduled appointments with your calendar of choice, as well as your invitees' calendar.
2. NeedToMeet builds an event page to share with your invitees, and from there they can register for any open slots you schedule. Everyone visiting your event page can see everyone else's availability which limits the back and forth emails.
3. Rallly is quick to use and easy to share. It works using the concept of voting for a suitable date and time.
4. Xoyondo works in a similar manner as Rallly. The meeting organizer offers times and dates to meet, then the app generates a page where attendees can vote on which time works best.

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