Employers Googling your name

MissSarah1972

AbbieCadabra wrote: »

as an employer, completely agree with this. also used for any new business contact/client you may have too, always useful to get as much background info as you can.



i was surprised by how many people have open profiles, especially considering what was on them!

Not just 'open' but they add everyone that they work with too!

Nicki

K_P83 wrote: »

I can access information via Google on a relative of mine dating back to the early 90s, just by simply throwing their name & their name alone into a Google search.

If 22 years isn't a "long" period, then what is?

My point though was that not all info stays accessible for that length of time and newspaper articles in particular (as these were mentioned in the OP) are often not available after a while.

I can do a detailed search on google for my name plus the name of a client I was representing plus the name of the newspaper I know a particular story was carried in, and still not come up with any details of articles I remember being published, and a simple google search of my name alone also doesn't bring up any reference. There are only about 3 articles still available via a google search about me relating to that period, even though I was name checked many many times in many different contexts.

To test it out, I searched a few minutes ago using the name of a former colleague who I know (because I read it in a national newspaper!) was convicted of assault about 10 years ago, and google had no hits for that story.

keyser666

Nicki wrote: »

My point though was that not all info stays accessible for that length of time and newspaper articles in particular (as these were mentioned in the OP) are often not available after a while.

I can do a detailed search on google for my name plus the name of a client I was representing plus the name of the newspaper I know a particular story was carried in, and still not come up with any details of articles I remember being published, and a simple google search of my name alone also doesn't bring up any reference. There are only about 3 articles still available via a google search about me relating to that period, even though I was name checked many many times in many different contexts.

To test it out, I searched a few minutes ago using the name of a former colleague who I know (because I read it in a national newspaper!) was convicted of assault about 10 years ago, and google had no hits for that story.

Think this all depends on how IT savvy the person is really. There are many ways to search for people using google you can use search terms that you know are applicable for a person but they might not necssiarily come up.

There are other ways to search for people on the internet where you are likely to get hits that google no longer has or has cached;)

Also if you are just searching for a prospective employee it depends what information you have at your disposal, for example if a agency sends you they redact all your personal details with their log, which limits info you may have. Also how are you to know if the person has just moved to the area or where they spent most of their life where they maybe committed an offence.

Suppose I am basically saying there are a lot of variables here but if you are prepared to put the time in and have some decent bits of info then it is not too hard.

Oh and on a side note I share my name with a famous person and also a famous solicitor and although I only have a small footprint on the web their search results more than covers me.

paddyrg

Change your name to Lindsey Lohan (or some other famous actress/celebrity name) - frankly they'll never find any stories about you, just the other one ;-)

SailorSam

I've just googled my name and i'm a famous writer.
Where do i go to get my royalties that are due.

Uncertain

Nicki wrote: »

To test it out, I searched a few minutes ago using the name of a former colleague who I know (because I read it in a national newspaper!) was convicted of assault about 10 years ago, and google had no hits for that story.

Interestingly I also have a former colleague who was convicted of assault just over seven years ago. It was very minor leading to a small fine but did have a certain "man bites dog" aspect to it so got a fair splash in the local rag.

If I put their name into Google I get a photo and link to the local newspaper article on the second page.

If I add the word "assault" to the search it becomes the very first hit on page one.

geri1965_2

Not really sure why a story about a teenage girl dyeing her hair would put off an employer 10 years later - it's hardly a heinous crime, is it?

k12479

geri1965 wrote: »

Not really sure why a story about a teenage girl dyeing her hair would put off an employer 10 years later - it's hardly a heinous crime, is it?

No it's not, but it is poor judgement to break school rules and then whine about the consequences. Taking the "it's not fair..." attitude into the public domain certainly doesn't help matters. A potential employer may just pass them over for someone who hasn't publicly demonstrated they can't follow simple rules.

James1968

Just googled my name. Apparently I'm a blogger, A minister & a construction specialist.

It's not just the net that Companies use to hunt for info on potential employees. They send details to the Scout Association who, for a fee, will undertake a search through their archive. This contains every daily & weekly national and local newspaper printed in the UK and is updated daily.

cazziebo

James1968 wrote: »

It's not just the net that Companies use to hunt for info on potential employees. They send details to the Scout Association who, for a fee, will undertake a search through their archive.

Nope - never done that. But it is common practice now to google candidates so be careful what you post on-line. Similarly with LinkedIn - make sure your CV matches your dates on your profile. Many people "lose" jobs from their CV but list them on LinkedIn.

If you keep a blog, don't slag off the interviewer until you hear the result...

I now run my own company so hope never have to be interviewed again. However, I do have the same name as a 70s !!!!!! star and I think that helps me get sales meetings...

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