My holiday gift to you is a short column. Google and other Internet search engines have changed job seeking like they’ve changed everything else. What hath Google wrought? And how can you, as safety professionals, take advantage of Google to enhance your job search and career prospects? Here are three quick tips.

1. Give Yourself a Regular Google

Understand that Google has become a tool for background checking. Most recruiters and companies use Google to check out job candidates. That makes it an absolute must to Google yourself regularly to determine what the people checking you out are seeing. Be sure to check the "images," "news" and "newsgroup" directories.

2. Build Your Own Website

Build a simple website that displays your résumé, articles, press mentions, awards, etc. Not only will the site serve as an electronic portfolio of your experience and success, but it will also get noticed by Googling recruiters. Building a personal website is almost an imperative if your "narcissurfing" yields unflattering results. Carving out your own niche in cyberspace will divert attention from the bad things and ensure that Googlers come away with something positive about you.

3. Start Your Own Blog

Create a blog—short for web log. This will enable you to gain control over the results that emerge when someone searches on your name. Each blog entry is “signed” by the name of the author each time it’s updated. Blogs are typically updated at least once a day. And because search engines rank results by recency and frequency, the blog will land at the top of the search pages.

Conclusion

In the cyber age, it’s go, go, go. I think these nuggets will help you adjust to the brave new world of Google and enrich your career prospects.

Wishing you career success and holiday cheer,

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

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