I have absolutely no online presence if you google my name. Will this harm my resume?

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;







up vote
12
down vote

favorite












If you google my name (not my username, my actual name), nothing comes up that's related to me.



The closest thing is a family relative's LinkedIn profile, which has no mention of me.



This is no mistake - I've worked very hard to keep it this way. With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on legal documents (bank accounts, etc) which are not publicly available or on google. Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar. However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future employer to think I'm trying to hide something (I'm not directly, I just don't think it's a good idea to have all that publicly available info).







share|improve this question
















  • 3




    My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:23






  • 3




    One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
    – Frank
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:25










  • That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:34










  • This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
    – LindaCamillo
    Dec 5 '13 at 17:53






  • 3




    i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
    – bharal
    Sep 19 '14 at 16:20
















up vote
12
down vote

favorite












If you google my name (not my username, my actual name), nothing comes up that's related to me.



The closest thing is a family relative's LinkedIn profile, which has no mention of me.



This is no mistake - I've worked very hard to keep it this way. With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on legal documents (bank accounts, etc) which are not publicly available or on google. Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar. However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future employer to think I'm trying to hide something (I'm not directly, I just don't think it's a good idea to have all that publicly available info).







share|improve this question
















  • 3




    My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:23






  • 3




    One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
    – Frank
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:25










  • That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:34










  • This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
    – LindaCamillo
    Dec 5 '13 at 17:53






  • 3




    i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
    – bharal
    Sep 19 '14 at 16:20












up vote
12
down vote

favorite









up vote
12
down vote

favorite











If you google my name (not my username, my actual name), nothing comes up that's related to me.



The closest thing is a family relative's LinkedIn profile, which has no mention of me.



This is no mistake - I've worked very hard to keep it this way. With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on legal documents (bank accounts, etc) which are not publicly available or on google. Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar. However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future employer to think I'm trying to hide something (I'm not directly, I just don't think it's a good idea to have all that publicly available info).







share|improve this question












If you google my name (not my username, my actual name), nothing comes up that's related to me.



The closest thing is a family relative's LinkedIn profile, which has no mention of me.



This is no mistake - I've worked very hard to keep it this way. With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on legal documents (bank accounts, etc) which are not publicly available or on google. Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar. However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future employer to think I'm trying to hide something (I'm not directly, I just don't think it's a good idea to have all that publicly available info).









share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked Dec 5 '13 at 2:27









Frank

5511917




5511917







  • 3




    My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:23






  • 3




    One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
    – Frank
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:25










  • That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:34










  • This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
    – LindaCamillo
    Dec 5 '13 at 17:53






  • 3




    i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
    – bharal
    Sep 19 '14 at 16:20












  • 3




    My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:23






  • 3




    One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
    – Frank
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:25










  • That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
    – n00b
    Dec 5 '13 at 15:34










  • This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
    – LindaCamillo
    Dec 5 '13 at 17:53






  • 3




    i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
    – bharal
    Sep 19 '14 at 16:20







3




3




My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
– n00b
Dec 5 '13 at 15:23




My name is Mike Jones. Google that.
– n00b
Dec 5 '13 at 15:23




3




3




One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
– Frank
Dec 5 '13 at 15:25




One would guess that you aren't that mike jones.
– Frank
Dec 5 '13 at 15:25












That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
– n00b
Dec 5 '13 at 15:34




That's kind of my point. Someone with no online presence is as anonymous as somebody with a shared name which is a large portion of the population. In anycase I'm with you. I prefer to be anonymous. Mike Jones is not my real name btw. But if it was, I wouldnt care to share it :)
– n00b
Dec 5 '13 at 15:34












This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
– LindaCamillo
Dec 5 '13 at 17:53




This is interesting and I am curious about the answers because I am Mike Jones as well, so I use my middle name when I'm in the market, mostly to make it easier for potential employers to creep me online.
– LindaCamillo
Dec 5 '13 at 17:53




3




3




i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
– bharal
Sep 19 '14 at 16:20




i ... why are you asking this? How are you going to get an online presence if everybody says "no, you need one"? Are you going to invent something new? Are you just asking if you need a linked in account?
– bharal
Sep 19 '14 at 16:20










7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
10
down vote



accepted










I think there is no harm.



Let's look at it this way. Why would an employer look for a potential employee's online presence? Is he looking for good thing about that employee? Or bad thing?



The employer has many ways to determine the employee's skills, experience and other info. What he is concerned is that he does not want to hire a trouble maker.



I don't know your real name. I googled your user name and have found 8390 results. Suppose this was your real name, would I have time to go through all these results to see if you are good or bad? I think I would go through the first 50 or so results to see if you have a bad mouth. Once your name passes this check, you would be on my potential list.



If I see some good stuff you put online, I would not necessarily think you are really that good. How do I know you are the one who did it? If I see bad stuff, I tend to think you are a bad person. (you have the responsibility to clean up your record).



My answer, no presence is no worse than presence (good or bad).






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
    – Ooker
    Sep 19 '14 at 13:59











  • I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
    – Walfrat
    Jan 30 '17 at 15:56

















up vote
7
down vote














Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to
multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help
because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar.
However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future
employer to think I'm trying to hide something.




I'm trying to imagine a situation where a potential employer would think "I've got to hire this guy Chipperyman - because he is so smart, he has found a way to evade Google."



I can't see how this could help. I could imagine where it could hurt, but I think the possibility is very remote.



Just in case, you might want to think about how you would respond in an interview if asked "When I searched your name on Google, I found nothing. Why is that?"



Try to come up with reasons that don't sound like you are trying to hide something, and don't sound like you are afraid of something. Be aware that most interviewers won't share your concern (rightly or wrongly) about public information.



(As an aside, you might want to have someone else do a search for your name. One possibility is that your searching skills aren't sufficient to find yourself. You'd be amazed at what is available online if you know how to find it.)






share|improve this answer


















  • 2




    I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
    – CGCampbell
    Sep 19 '14 at 15:52










  • @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
    – John Oglesby
    Sep 19 '14 at 20:29











  • @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
    – CGCampbell
    Sep 20 '14 at 0:03

















up vote
5
down vote













Short answer is no... and this is why...



As someone who hires in IT let me explain what we consider in regards to your internet presence, and what we absolutely don't care about at all. (this is in my company, your mileage may vary)



How we even look



Due to the volume of applicants we receive we don't even check until you make our short list (depending on the role this is typically like 5 - 7 candidates) At this point we have a tool (I don't know the name of it) that does puts together what information it can find on Bing, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, etc.



This then parses through what information it collects from these probes and filters out anything it's smart enough to flag as a potential concern. Typically these include discrepancies between your resume any sites with work history, talk about drug use or criminal activity, and a few undesirable personality traits.



These "items of concern" are reviewed by HR and if bad enough HR will pull you from consideration. The software does false positive a lot by design, but HR will quickly go through and only note legitimate concerns.



What we don't care about



Generally speaking we don't care if you do or do not use any service. We don't care if you have some really well known tech blog, have a strong following on Github, are viewed as an expert on SO, etc. (The only exception might be if we were hiring a spokesman, but that's outside the scope of this question, and something we've never done)



What we do care about



We really only care about things that would effectively remove you from consideration for hiring. Use of illicit narcotics, criminal activity, history of violence, bad mouthing employers publicly, or other personality red flags. That said a single facebook post flagging won't get you blocked from consideration. (unless it was something REALLY damning) we care more about trends. Do you constantly seem to lose your temper? Call everyone an idiot? Bad mouth your employer? These would potentially disqualify your application.



Why do we take this approach



We need to filter out people we won't hire. Otherwise if we do hire you, then find out you've got serious anger management issues to the point we fire you we've wasted our time and money.



We choose not to use these tools to look for good items as they can often be faked online, and we want to know what's important to you. Interviews are the time you truly sell yourself, make me think if I let this guy go I'm going to regret it, I NEED him on my team. If you got a Nobel Peace Prize now is the time to wow me. Have a project on Github that was pulled 5 million times? Blow my mind! Have a high score on SO... sorry, I do love SO, but that really means nothing to me... It is a time to see what motivates you, what makes you tick? will working for me motivate you more, or suck the motivation right out of you?






share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    2
    down vote













    Personally, I find it unnerving if applicants do not have a linkedin account or something similar. It makes me concerned that they aren't "with it" or have some bad reason to "do things the way they know".



    I've done a very good job (but not entirely perfect) at separating things associated with my name and my nick. In some cases this is regrettable (for example my awesome programmers.stackexchange history won't come up with potential employers). In some cases it's beneficial (for example my highly opinionated programmers.stackexchange answers won't come up with potential employers...).



    It is useful to have a public online persona for many careers, and increasingly vital for some.






    share|improve this answer




















    • Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
      – Christian
      Dec 5 '13 at 13:59






    • 6




      If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
      – n00b
      Dec 5 '13 at 15:26











    • @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
      – Telastyn
      Dec 5 '13 at 16:22










    • @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
      – Telastyn
      Dec 5 '13 at 16:30

















    up vote
    2
    down vote













    No internet presence means that you're security savvy, and take extra steps to ensure that a bunch of personal info isn't available on the web. I think a company worth working for would understand this and not jump to ridiculous conclusions about it. (Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that required me to be a digital moron in order to be considered for a position.)






    share|improve this answer



























      up vote
      -3
      down vote













      If the employer is one that values discretion (the CIA comes to mind) the less visible you are the better. I wouldn't recommend applying for work at social media or search engine companies where 'being seen' is the whole point, however they would also know that the 'real you' is on-line, because they know how to find you (MAC addresses speak volumes). In short, you're probably more visible than you think you are, just not to the general public.



      There's probably a simple consideration to keep in mind to avoid being fired for on-line content - Don't Be An Idiot. Don't shoot pictures of yourself an a couple of friends drunk at a concert in the park. Don't put videos of yourself doing donuts in a sports car in a parking lot. Etc.



      Consider that a political opinion can go either way - making reference to the Bilderberg Conspiracy (a long running right wing rant) hints at a lack of personal responsibility. Being able to explain why the political landscape of your state is changing and where you think it will go is demonstrating thinking skills - employers might not like it or agree, but if you're making a well reasoned argument they'll appreciate the thinking. Given that business politics has all kinds of nuances, the more intelligently it appears you can analyze the 'real' political landscape the more intelligently you could deal with the one inside your company.






      share|improve this answer



























        up vote
        -5
        down vote














        With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on...




        I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that you are either too paranoid or have something to hide (let me explain later). Please explain to us how having a LinkedIn account could increase the chances of you getting fired ? Unless you have no self control or turn uncouth when drunk, then the chances are zero.



        If you think that you are highly skilled, can ace interviews and give real references for your past experience, then maybe you don't need an online presence at all. Just hope that your potential employer does not count on it.



        Now for the part about hiding things. Sometimes people want to hide where they currently work (for privacy or from people they date). If that's the case, then you can omit your current employer on LinkedIn. Moreover, use LinkedInto hide your name from search engines. So, people will have to login to see/stalk you.



        Sometimes, people fake resumes and even fake references. If that is the case, then you'll probably arouse the suspicion of coworkers even more.






        share|improve this answer






















          Your Answer







          StackExchange.ready(function()
          var channelOptions =
          tags: "".split(" "),
          id: "423"
          ;
          initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

          StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
          // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
          if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
          StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
          createEditor();
          );

          else
          createEditor();

          );

          function createEditor()
          StackExchange.prepareEditor(
          heartbeatType: 'answer',
          convertImagesToLinks: false,
          noModals: false,
          showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
          reputationToPostImages: null,
          bindNavPrevention: true,
          postfix: "",
          noCode: true, onDemand: false,
          discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
          ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
          );



          );








           

          draft saved


          draft discarded


















          StackExchange.ready(
          function ()
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f17106%2fi-have-absolutely-no-online-presence-if-you-google-my-name-will-this-harm-my-re%23new-answer', 'question_page');

          );

          Post as a guest

























          StackExchange.ready(function ()
          $("#show-editor-button input, #show-editor-button button").click(function ()
          var showEditor = function()
          $("#show-editor-button").hide();
          $("#post-form").removeClass("dno");
          StackExchange.editor.finallyInit();
          ;

          var useFancy = $(this).data('confirm-use-fancy');
          if(useFancy == 'True')
          var popupTitle = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-title');
          var popupBody = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-body');
          var popupAccept = $(this).data('confirm-fancy-accept-button');

          $(this).loadPopup(
          url: '/post/self-answer-popup',
          loaded: function(popup)
          var pTitle = $(popup).find('h2');
          var pBody = $(popup).find('.popup-body');
          var pSubmit = $(popup).find('.popup-submit');

          pTitle.text(popupTitle);
          pBody.html(popupBody);
          pSubmit.val(popupAccept).click(showEditor);

          )
          else
          var confirmText = $(this).data('confirm-text');
          if (confirmText ? confirm(confirmText) : true)
          showEditor();


          );
          );






          7 Answers
          7






          active

          oldest

          votes








          7 Answers
          7






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes








          up vote
          10
          down vote



          accepted










          I think there is no harm.



          Let's look at it this way. Why would an employer look for a potential employee's online presence? Is he looking for good thing about that employee? Or bad thing?



          The employer has many ways to determine the employee's skills, experience and other info. What he is concerned is that he does not want to hire a trouble maker.



          I don't know your real name. I googled your user name and have found 8390 results. Suppose this was your real name, would I have time to go through all these results to see if you are good or bad? I think I would go through the first 50 or so results to see if you have a bad mouth. Once your name passes this check, you would be on my potential list.



          If I see some good stuff you put online, I would not necessarily think you are really that good. How do I know you are the one who did it? If I see bad stuff, I tend to think you are a bad person. (you have the responsibility to clean up your record).



          My answer, no presence is no worse than presence (good or bad).






          share|improve this answer
















          • 1




            For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
            – Ooker
            Sep 19 '14 at 13:59











          • I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
            – Walfrat
            Jan 30 '17 at 15:56














          up vote
          10
          down vote



          accepted










          I think there is no harm.



          Let's look at it this way. Why would an employer look for a potential employee's online presence? Is he looking for good thing about that employee? Or bad thing?



          The employer has many ways to determine the employee's skills, experience and other info. What he is concerned is that he does not want to hire a trouble maker.



          I don't know your real name. I googled your user name and have found 8390 results. Suppose this was your real name, would I have time to go through all these results to see if you are good or bad? I think I would go through the first 50 or so results to see if you have a bad mouth. Once your name passes this check, you would be on my potential list.



          If I see some good stuff you put online, I would not necessarily think you are really that good. How do I know you are the one who did it? If I see bad stuff, I tend to think you are a bad person. (you have the responsibility to clean up your record).



          My answer, no presence is no worse than presence (good or bad).






          share|improve this answer
















          • 1




            For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
            – Ooker
            Sep 19 '14 at 13:59











          • I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
            – Walfrat
            Jan 30 '17 at 15:56












          up vote
          10
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          10
          down vote



          accepted






          I think there is no harm.



          Let's look at it this way. Why would an employer look for a potential employee's online presence? Is he looking for good thing about that employee? Or bad thing?



          The employer has many ways to determine the employee's skills, experience and other info. What he is concerned is that he does not want to hire a trouble maker.



          I don't know your real name. I googled your user name and have found 8390 results. Suppose this was your real name, would I have time to go through all these results to see if you are good or bad? I think I would go through the first 50 or so results to see if you have a bad mouth. Once your name passes this check, you would be on my potential list.



          If I see some good stuff you put online, I would not necessarily think you are really that good. How do I know you are the one who did it? If I see bad stuff, I tend to think you are a bad person. (you have the responsibility to clean up your record).



          My answer, no presence is no worse than presence (good or bad).






          share|improve this answer












          I think there is no harm.



          Let's look at it this way. Why would an employer look for a potential employee's online presence? Is he looking for good thing about that employee? Or bad thing?



          The employer has many ways to determine the employee's skills, experience and other info. What he is concerned is that he does not want to hire a trouble maker.



          I don't know your real name. I googled your user name and have found 8390 results. Suppose this was your real name, would I have time to go through all these results to see if you are good or bad? I think I would go through the first 50 or so results to see if you have a bad mouth. Once your name passes this check, you would be on my potential list.



          If I see some good stuff you put online, I would not necessarily think you are really that good. How do I know you are the one who did it? If I see bad stuff, I tend to think you are a bad person. (you have the responsibility to clean up your record).



          My answer, no presence is no worse than presence (good or bad).







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Dec 5 '13 at 4:13









          scaaahu

          6,60853144




          6,60853144







          • 1




            For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
            – Ooker
            Sep 19 '14 at 13:59











          • I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
            – Walfrat
            Jan 30 '17 at 15:56












          • 1




            For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
            – Ooker
            Sep 19 '14 at 13:59











          • I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
            – Walfrat
            Jan 30 '17 at 15:56







          1




          1




          For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
          – Ooker
          Sep 19 '14 at 13:59





          For summary, good stuff online doesn't necessary make you look good; but bad thing does make you look bad.
          – Ooker
          Sep 19 '14 at 13:59













          I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
          – Walfrat
          Jan 30 '17 at 15:56




          I would add the fact that the only way I can think of it could be not beneficial to you is for a job as related to some kind of community manager on the net. It's not like it will play against you, but it will play in favor of others candidtes with already related experience on the net to show.
          – Walfrat
          Jan 30 '17 at 15:56












          up vote
          7
          down vote














          Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to
          multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help
          because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar.
          However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future
          employer to think I'm trying to hide something.




          I'm trying to imagine a situation where a potential employer would think "I've got to hire this guy Chipperyman - because he is so smart, he has found a way to evade Google."



          I can't see how this could help. I could imagine where it could hurt, but I think the possibility is very remote.



          Just in case, you might want to think about how you would respond in an interview if asked "When I searched your name on Google, I found nothing. Why is that?"



          Try to come up with reasons that don't sound like you are trying to hide something, and don't sound like you are afraid of something. Be aware that most interviewers won't share your concern (rightly or wrongly) about public information.



          (As an aside, you might want to have someone else do a search for your name. One possibility is that your searching skills aren't sufficient to find yourself. You'd be amazed at what is available online if you know how to find it.)






          share|improve this answer


















          • 2




            I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 19 '14 at 15:52










          • @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
            – John Oglesby
            Sep 19 '14 at 20:29











          • @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 20 '14 at 0:03














          up vote
          7
          down vote














          Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to
          multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help
          because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar.
          However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future
          employer to think I'm trying to hide something.




          I'm trying to imagine a situation where a potential employer would think "I've got to hire this guy Chipperyman - because he is so smart, he has found a way to evade Google."



          I can't see how this could help. I could imagine where it could hurt, but I think the possibility is very remote.



          Just in case, you might want to think about how you would respond in an interview if asked "When I searched your name on Google, I found nothing. Why is that?"



          Try to come up with reasons that don't sound like you are trying to hide something, and don't sound like you are afraid of something. Be aware that most interviewers won't share your concern (rightly or wrongly) about public information.



          (As an aside, you might want to have someone else do a search for your name. One possibility is that your searching skills aren't sufficient to find yourself. You'd be amazed at what is available online if you know how to find it.)






          share|improve this answer


















          • 2




            I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 19 '14 at 15:52










          • @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
            – John Oglesby
            Sep 19 '14 at 20:29











          • @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 20 '14 at 0:03












          up vote
          7
          down vote










          up vote
          7
          down vote










          Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to
          multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help
          because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar.
          However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future
          employer to think I'm trying to hide something.




          I'm trying to imagine a situation where a potential employer would think "I've got to hire this guy Chipperyman - because he is so smart, he has found a way to evade Google."



          I can't see how this could help. I could imagine where it could hurt, but I think the possibility is very remote.



          Just in case, you might want to think about how you would respond in an interview if asked "When I searched your name on Google, I found nothing. Why is that?"



          Try to come up with reasons that don't sound like you are trying to hide something, and don't sound like you are afraid of something. Be aware that most interviewers won't share your concern (rightly or wrongly) about public information.



          (As an aside, you might want to have someone else do a search for your name. One possibility is that your searching skills aren't sufficient to find yourself. You'd be amazed at what is available online if you know how to find it.)






          share|improve this answer















          Will this hurt or help my resume (or neither)? I'm applying to
          multiple tech companies, so my first guess is that it will help
          because it will show I'm smart enough to stay under the radar.
          However, I also think it won't help because it may cause the future
          employer to think I'm trying to hide something.




          I'm trying to imagine a situation where a potential employer would think "I've got to hire this guy Chipperyman - because he is so smart, he has found a way to evade Google."



          I can't see how this could help. I could imagine where it could hurt, but I think the possibility is very remote.



          Just in case, you might want to think about how you would respond in an interview if asked "When I searched your name on Google, I found nothing. Why is that?"



          Try to come up with reasons that don't sound like you are trying to hide something, and don't sound like you are afraid of something. Be aware that most interviewers won't share your concern (rightly or wrongly) about public information.



          (As an aside, you might want to have someone else do a search for your name. One possibility is that your searching skills aren't sufficient to find yourself. You'd be amazed at what is available online if you know how to find it.)







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Sep 20 '14 at 20:04

























          answered Sep 19 '14 at 10:46









          Joe Strazzere

          224k107661930




          224k107661930







          • 2




            I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 19 '14 at 15:52










          • @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
            – John Oglesby
            Sep 19 '14 at 20:29











          • @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 20 '14 at 0:03












          • 2




            I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 19 '14 at 15:52










          • @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
            – John Oglesby
            Sep 19 '14 at 20:29











          • @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
            – CGCampbell
            Sep 20 '14 at 0:03







          2




          2




          I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
          – CGCampbell
          Sep 19 '14 at 15:52




          I have several anecdotal occurrences of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of social media postings casting them in a less than positive light. I have no anecdotal evidence of friends/acquaintances not being hired because of no social media. I also have none of someone being hired because of social media. (Note, I do not equate LinkdIn as 'regular' social media)
          – CGCampbell
          Sep 19 '14 at 15:52












          @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
          – John Oglesby
          Sep 19 '14 at 20:29





          @CGCampbell Do you have any acquaintances that you know have no online presence? Without at least one, your anecdotal evidence can only have the result you've found. I also have no evidence of people that I personally know losing out on jobs due to the presence or absence of social media content. But I can imagine a scenario where an employer searches, finds nothing and assumes that the candidate has scrubbed their social media due to some past incident. Why put that thought in their mind. I suggest a few positive accounts so that they find something and everything seems normal.
          – John Oglesby
          Sep 19 '14 at 20:29













          @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
          – CGCampbell
          Sep 20 '14 at 0:03




          @JohnOglesby Yes, actually. Several (3) friends and a coworker have no personal social media. My wife also does not. I do have limited, because the agency that contracts me frowns deeply on it, as well as the company I work for. I don't have to imagine, I know, if my company scrubs social media and finds nothing, they will accept privacy as a legitimate answer as to why.
          – CGCampbell
          Sep 20 '14 at 0:03










          up vote
          5
          down vote













          Short answer is no... and this is why...



          As someone who hires in IT let me explain what we consider in regards to your internet presence, and what we absolutely don't care about at all. (this is in my company, your mileage may vary)



          How we even look



          Due to the volume of applicants we receive we don't even check until you make our short list (depending on the role this is typically like 5 - 7 candidates) At this point we have a tool (I don't know the name of it) that does puts together what information it can find on Bing, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, etc.



          This then parses through what information it collects from these probes and filters out anything it's smart enough to flag as a potential concern. Typically these include discrepancies between your resume any sites with work history, talk about drug use or criminal activity, and a few undesirable personality traits.



          These "items of concern" are reviewed by HR and if bad enough HR will pull you from consideration. The software does false positive a lot by design, but HR will quickly go through and only note legitimate concerns.



          What we don't care about



          Generally speaking we don't care if you do or do not use any service. We don't care if you have some really well known tech blog, have a strong following on Github, are viewed as an expert on SO, etc. (The only exception might be if we were hiring a spokesman, but that's outside the scope of this question, and something we've never done)



          What we do care about



          We really only care about things that would effectively remove you from consideration for hiring. Use of illicit narcotics, criminal activity, history of violence, bad mouthing employers publicly, or other personality red flags. That said a single facebook post flagging won't get you blocked from consideration. (unless it was something REALLY damning) we care more about trends. Do you constantly seem to lose your temper? Call everyone an idiot? Bad mouth your employer? These would potentially disqualify your application.



          Why do we take this approach



          We need to filter out people we won't hire. Otherwise if we do hire you, then find out you've got serious anger management issues to the point we fire you we've wasted our time and money.



          We choose not to use these tools to look for good items as they can often be faked online, and we want to know what's important to you. Interviews are the time you truly sell yourself, make me think if I let this guy go I'm going to regret it, I NEED him on my team. If you got a Nobel Peace Prize now is the time to wow me. Have a project on Github that was pulled 5 million times? Blow my mind! Have a high score on SO... sorry, I do love SO, but that really means nothing to me... It is a time to see what motivates you, what makes you tick? will working for me motivate you more, or suck the motivation right out of you?






          share|improve this answer
























            up vote
            5
            down vote













            Short answer is no... and this is why...



            As someone who hires in IT let me explain what we consider in regards to your internet presence, and what we absolutely don't care about at all. (this is in my company, your mileage may vary)



            How we even look



            Due to the volume of applicants we receive we don't even check until you make our short list (depending on the role this is typically like 5 - 7 candidates) At this point we have a tool (I don't know the name of it) that does puts together what information it can find on Bing, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, etc.



            This then parses through what information it collects from these probes and filters out anything it's smart enough to flag as a potential concern. Typically these include discrepancies between your resume any sites with work history, talk about drug use or criminal activity, and a few undesirable personality traits.



            These "items of concern" are reviewed by HR and if bad enough HR will pull you from consideration. The software does false positive a lot by design, but HR will quickly go through and only note legitimate concerns.



            What we don't care about



            Generally speaking we don't care if you do or do not use any service. We don't care if you have some really well known tech blog, have a strong following on Github, are viewed as an expert on SO, etc. (The only exception might be if we were hiring a spokesman, but that's outside the scope of this question, and something we've never done)



            What we do care about



            We really only care about things that would effectively remove you from consideration for hiring. Use of illicit narcotics, criminal activity, history of violence, bad mouthing employers publicly, or other personality red flags. That said a single facebook post flagging won't get you blocked from consideration. (unless it was something REALLY damning) we care more about trends. Do you constantly seem to lose your temper? Call everyone an idiot? Bad mouth your employer? These would potentially disqualify your application.



            Why do we take this approach



            We need to filter out people we won't hire. Otherwise if we do hire you, then find out you've got serious anger management issues to the point we fire you we've wasted our time and money.



            We choose not to use these tools to look for good items as they can often be faked online, and we want to know what's important to you. Interviews are the time you truly sell yourself, make me think if I let this guy go I'm going to regret it, I NEED him on my team. If you got a Nobel Peace Prize now is the time to wow me. Have a project on Github that was pulled 5 million times? Blow my mind! Have a high score on SO... sorry, I do love SO, but that really means nothing to me... It is a time to see what motivates you, what makes you tick? will working for me motivate you more, or suck the motivation right out of you?






            share|improve this answer






















              up vote
              5
              down vote










              up vote
              5
              down vote









              Short answer is no... and this is why...



              As someone who hires in IT let me explain what we consider in regards to your internet presence, and what we absolutely don't care about at all. (this is in my company, your mileage may vary)



              How we even look



              Due to the volume of applicants we receive we don't even check until you make our short list (depending on the role this is typically like 5 - 7 candidates) At this point we have a tool (I don't know the name of it) that does puts together what information it can find on Bing, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, etc.



              This then parses through what information it collects from these probes and filters out anything it's smart enough to flag as a potential concern. Typically these include discrepancies between your resume any sites with work history, talk about drug use or criminal activity, and a few undesirable personality traits.



              These "items of concern" are reviewed by HR and if bad enough HR will pull you from consideration. The software does false positive a lot by design, but HR will quickly go through and only note legitimate concerns.



              What we don't care about



              Generally speaking we don't care if you do or do not use any service. We don't care if you have some really well known tech blog, have a strong following on Github, are viewed as an expert on SO, etc. (The only exception might be if we were hiring a spokesman, but that's outside the scope of this question, and something we've never done)



              What we do care about



              We really only care about things that would effectively remove you from consideration for hiring. Use of illicit narcotics, criminal activity, history of violence, bad mouthing employers publicly, or other personality red flags. That said a single facebook post flagging won't get you blocked from consideration. (unless it was something REALLY damning) we care more about trends. Do you constantly seem to lose your temper? Call everyone an idiot? Bad mouth your employer? These would potentially disqualify your application.



              Why do we take this approach



              We need to filter out people we won't hire. Otherwise if we do hire you, then find out you've got serious anger management issues to the point we fire you we've wasted our time and money.



              We choose not to use these tools to look for good items as they can often be faked online, and we want to know what's important to you. Interviews are the time you truly sell yourself, make me think if I let this guy go I'm going to regret it, I NEED him on my team. If you got a Nobel Peace Prize now is the time to wow me. Have a project on Github that was pulled 5 million times? Blow my mind! Have a high score on SO... sorry, I do love SO, but that really means nothing to me... It is a time to see what motivates you, what makes you tick? will working for me motivate you more, or suck the motivation right out of you?






              share|improve this answer












              Short answer is no... and this is why...



              As someone who hires in IT let me explain what we consider in regards to your internet presence, and what we absolutely don't care about at all. (this is in my company, your mileage may vary)



              How we even look



              Due to the volume of applicants we receive we don't even check until you make our short list (depending on the role this is typically like 5 - 7 candidates) At this point we have a tool (I don't know the name of it) that does puts together what information it can find on Bing, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, etc.



              This then parses through what information it collects from these probes and filters out anything it's smart enough to flag as a potential concern. Typically these include discrepancies between your resume any sites with work history, talk about drug use or criminal activity, and a few undesirable personality traits.



              These "items of concern" are reviewed by HR and if bad enough HR will pull you from consideration. The software does false positive a lot by design, but HR will quickly go through and only note legitimate concerns.



              What we don't care about



              Generally speaking we don't care if you do or do not use any service. We don't care if you have some really well known tech blog, have a strong following on Github, are viewed as an expert on SO, etc. (The only exception might be if we were hiring a spokesman, but that's outside the scope of this question, and something we've never done)



              What we do care about



              We really only care about things that would effectively remove you from consideration for hiring. Use of illicit narcotics, criminal activity, history of violence, bad mouthing employers publicly, or other personality red flags. That said a single facebook post flagging won't get you blocked from consideration. (unless it was something REALLY damning) we care more about trends. Do you constantly seem to lose your temper? Call everyone an idiot? Bad mouth your employer? These would potentially disqualify your application.



              Why do we take this approach



              We need to filter out people we won't hire. Otherwise if we do hire you, then find out you've got serious anger management issues to the point we fire you we've wasted our time and money.



              We choose not to use these tools to look for good items as they can often be faked online, and we want to know what's important to you. Interviews are the time you truly sell yourself, make me think if I let this guy go I'm going to regret it, I NEED him on my team. If you got a Nobel Peace Prize now is the time to wow me. Have a project on Github that was pulled 5 million times? Blow my mind! Have a high score on SO... sorry, I do love SO, but that really means nothing to me... It is a time to see what motivates you, what makes you tick? will working for me motivate you more, or suck the motivation right out of you?







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Sep 19 '14 at 15:21









              RualStorge

              9,5372231




              9,5372231




















                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  Personally, I find it unnerving if applicants do not have a linkedin account or something similar. It makes me concerned that they aren't "with it" or have some bad reason to "do things the way they know".



                  I've done a very good job (but not entirely perfect) at separating things associated with my name and my nick. In some cases this is regrettable (for example my awesome programmers.stackexchange history won't come up with potential employers). In some cases it's beneficial (for example my highly opinionated programmers.stackexchange answers won't come up with potential employers...).



                  It is useful to have a public online persona for many careers, and increasingly vital for some.






                  share|improve this answer




















                  • Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                    – Christian
                    Dec 5 '13 at 13:59






                  • 6




                    If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                    – n00b
                    Dec 5 '13 at 15:26











                  • @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:22










                  • @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:30














                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  Personally, I find it unnerving if applicants do not have a linkedin account or something similar. It makes me concerned that they aren't "with it" or have some bad reason to "do things the way they know".



                  I've done a very good job (but not entirely perfect) at separating things associated with my name and my nick. In some cases this is regrettable (for example my awesome programmers.stackexchange history won't come up with potential employers). In some cases it's beneficial (for example my highly opinionated programmers.stackexchange answers won't come up with potential employers...).



                  It is useful to have a public online persona for many careers, and increasingly vital for some.






                  share|improve this answer




















                  • Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                    – Christian
                    Dec 5 '13 at 13:59






                  • 6




                    If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                    – n00b
                    Dec 5 '13 at 15:26











                  • @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:22










                  • @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:30












                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote









                  Personally, I find it unnerving if applicants do not have a linkedin account or something similar. It makes me concerned that they aren't "with it" or have some bad reason to "do things the way they know".



                  I've done a very good job (but not entirely perfect) at separating things associated with my name and my nick. In some cases this is regrettable (for example my awesome programmers.stackexchange history won't come up with potential employers). In some cases it's beneficial (for example my highly opinionated programmers.stackexchange answers won't come up with potential employers...).



                  It is useful to have a public online persona for many careers, and increasingly vital for some.






                  share|improve this answer












                  Personally, I find it unnerving if applicants do not have a linkedin account or something similar. It makes me concerned that they aren't "with it" or have some bad reason to "do things the way they know".



                  I've done a very good job (but not entirely perfect) at separating things associated with my name and my nick. In some cases this is regrettable (for example my awesome programmers.stackexchange history won't come up with potential employers). In some cases it's beneficial (for example my highly opinionated programmers.stackexchange answers won't come up with potential employers...).



                  It is useful to have a public online persona for many careers, and increasingly vital for some.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Dec 5 '13 at 3:40









                  Telastyn

                  33.9k977120




                  33.9k977120











                  • Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                    – Christian
                    Dec 5 '13 at 13:59






                  • 6




                    If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                    – n00b
                    Dec 5 '13 at 15:26











                  • @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:22










                  • @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:30
















                  • Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                    – Christian
                    Dec 5 '13 at 13:59






                  • 6




                    If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                    – n00b
                    Dec 5 '13 at 15:26











                  • @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:22










                  • @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                    – Telastyn
                    Dec 5 '13 at 16:30















                  Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                  – Christian
                  Dec 5 '13 at 13:59




                  Stackexchange allows you to change your nickname if you want to go that road.
                  – Christian
                  Dec 5 '13 at 13:59




                  6




                  6




                  If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                  – n00b
                  Dec 5 '13 at 15:26





                  If I'm applying for a technological company that thinks that if you're not on linked in you are not "with it" that's not a company I want to "be with".
                  – n00b
                  Dec 5 '13 at 15:26













                  @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                  – Telastyn
                  Dec 5 '13 at 16:22




                  @JoeStrazzere - Not so much, but every profession has advances and I would expect good candidates to at least be aware of recent advances in their field. I hire computer programmers, where keeping up to date is pretty vital. For programmers especially, that means using the internet. If they've done a good job using the internet to keep up to date, and do not have some social media presence, I would be curious why.
                  – Telastyn
                  Dec 5 '13 at 16:22












                  @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                  – Telastyn
                  Dec 5 '13 at 16:30




                  @JoeStrazzere - Indeed, that just becomes something I ask during an interview. Not having a linkedin profile isn't something that will ever prevent me from interviewing someone, even if it will change what I ask.
                  – Telastyn
                  Dec 5 '13 at 16:30










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote













                  No internet presence means that you're security savvy, and take extra steps to ensure that a bunch of personal info isn't available on the web. I think a company worth working for would understand this and not jump to ridiculous conclusions about it. (Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that required me to be a digital moron in order to be considered for a position.)






                  share|improve this answer
























                    up vote
                    2
                    down vote













                    No internet presence means that you're security savvy, and take extra steps to ensure that a bunch of personal info isn't available on the web. I think a company worth working for would understand this and not jump to ridiculous conclusions about it. (Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that required me to be a digital moron in order to be considered for a position.)






                    share|improve this answer






















                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote









                      No internet presence means that you're security savvy, and take extra steps to ensure that a bunch of personal info isn't available on the web. I think a company worth working for would understand this and not jump to ridiculous conclusions about it. (Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that required me to be a digital moron in order to be considered for a position.)






                      share|improve this answer












                      No internet presence means that you're security savvy, and take extra steps to ensure that a bunch of personal info isn't available on the web. I think a company worth working for would understand this and not jump to ridiculous conclusions about it. (Personally, I wouldn't want to work for a company that required me to be a digital moron in order to be considered for a position.)







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered Sep 19 '14 at 1:13









                      Fartz

                      291




                      291




















                          up vote
                          -3
                          down vote













                          If the employer is one that values discretion (the CIA comes to mind) the less visible you are the better. I wouldn't recommend applying for work at social media or search engine companies where 'being seen' is the whole point, however they would also know that the 'real you' is on-line, because they know how to find you (MAC addresses speak volumes). In short, you're probably more visible than you think you are, just not to the general public.



                          There's probably a simple consideration to keep in mind to avoid being fired for on-line content - Don't Be An Idiot. Don't shoot pictures of yourself an a couple of friends drunk at a concert in the park. Don't put videos of yourself doing donuts in a sports car in a parking lot. Etc.



                          Consider that a political opinion can go either way - making reference to the Bilderberg Conspiracy (a long running right wing rant) hints at a lack of personal responsibility. Being able to explain why the political landscape of your state is changing and where you think it will go is demonstrating thinking skills - employers might not like it or agree, but if you're making a well reasoned argument they'll appreciate the thinking. Given that business politics has all kinds of nuances, the more intelligently it appears you can analyze the 'real' political landscape the more intelligently you could deal with the one inside your company.






                          share|improve this answer
























                            up vote
                            -3
                            down vote













                            If the employer is one that values discretion (the CIA comes to mind) the less visible you are the better. I wouldn't recommend applying for work at social media or search engine companies where 'being seen' is the whole point, however they would also know that the 'real you' is on-line, because they know how to find you (MAC addresses speak volumes). In short, you're probably more visible than you think you are, just not to the general public.



                            There's probably a simple consideration to keep in mind to avoid being fired for on-line content - Don't Be An Idiot. Don't shoot pictures of yourself an a couple of friends drunk at a concert in the park. Don't put videos of yourself doing donuts in a sports car in a parking lot. Etc.



                            Consider that a political opinion can go either way - making reference to the Bilderberg Conspiracy (a long running right wing rant) hints at a lack of personal responsibility. Being able to explain why the political landscape of your state is changing and where you think it will go is demonstrating thinking skills - employers might not like it or agree, but if you're making a well reasoned argument they'll appreciate the thinking. Given that business politics has all kinds of nuances, the more intelligently it appears you can analyze the 'real' political landscape the more intelligently you could deal with the one inside your company.






                            share|improve this answer






















                              up vote
                              -3
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              -3
                              down vote









                              If the employer is one that values discretion (the CIA comes to mind) the less visible you are the better. I wouldn't recommend applying for work at social media or search engine companies where 'being seen' is the whole point, however they would also know that the 'real you' is on-line, because they know how to find you (MAC addresses speak volumes). In short, you're probably more visible than you think you are, just not to the general public.



                              There's probably a simple consideration to keep in mind to avoid being fired for on-line content - Don't Be An Idiot. Don't shoot pictures of yourself an a couple of friends drunk at a concert in the park. Don't put videos of yourself doing donuts in a sports car in a parking lot. Etc.



                              Consider that a political opinion can go either way - making reference to the Bilderberg Conspiracy (a long running right wing rant) hints at a lack of personal responsibility. Being able to explain why the political landscape of your state is changing and where you think it will go is demonstrating thinking skills - employers might not like it or agree, but if you're making a well reasoned argument they'll appreciate the thinking. Given that business politics has all kinds of nuances, the more intelligently it appears you can analyze the 'real' political landscape the more intelligently you could deal with the one inside your company.






                              share|improve this answer












                              If the employer is one that values discretion (the CIA comes to mind) the less visible you are the better. I wouldn't recommend applying for work at social media or search engine companies where 'being seen' is the whole point, however they would also know that the 'real you' is on-line, because they know how to find you (MAC addresses speak volumes). In short, you're probably more visible than you think you are, just not to the general public.



                              There's probably a simple consideration to keep in mind to avoid being fired for on-line content - Don't Be An Idiot. Don't shoot pictures of yourself an a couple of friends drunk at a concert in the park. Don't put videos of yourself doing donuts in a sports car in a parking lot. Etc.



                              Consider that a political opinion can go either way - making reference to the Bilderberg Conspiracy (a long running right wing rant) hints at a lack of personal responsibility. Being able to explain why the political landscape of your state is changing and where you think it will go is demonstrating thinking skills - employers might not like it or agree, but if you're making a well reasoned argument they'll appreciate the thinking. Given that business politics has all kinds of nuances, the more intelligently it appears you can analyze the 'real' political landscape the more intelligently you could deal with the one inside your company.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered Dec 5 '13 at 3:19









                              Meredith Poor

                              8,8661730




                              8,8661730




















                                  up vote
                                  -5
                                  down vote














                                  With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on...




                                  I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that you are either too paranoid or have something to hide (let me explain later). Please explain to us how having a LinkedIn account could increase the chances of you getting fired ? Unless you have no self control or turn uncouth when drunk, then the chances are zero.



                                  If you think that you are highly skilled, can ace interviews and give real references for your past experience, then maybe you don't need an online presence at all. Just hope that your potential employer does not count on it.



                                  Now for the part about hiding things. Sometimes people want to hide where they currently work (for privacy or from people they date). If that's the case, then you can omit your current employer on LinkedIn. Moreover, use LinkedInto hide your name from search engines. So, people will have to login to see/stalk you.



                                  Sometimes, people fake resumes and even fake references. If that is the case, then you'll probably arouse the suspicion of coworkers even more.






                                  share|improve this answer


























                                    up vote
                                    -5
                                    down vote














                                    With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on...




                                    I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that you are either too paranoid or have something to hide (let me explain later). Please explain to us how having a LinkedIn account could increase the chances of you getting fired ? Unless you have no self control or turn uncouth when drunk, then the chances are zero.



                                    If you think that you are highly skilled, can ace interviews and give real references for your past experience, then maybe you don't need an online presence at all. Just hope that your potential employer does not count on it.



                                    Now for the part about hiding things. Sometimes people want to hide where they currently work (for privacy or from people they date). If that's the case, then you can omit your current employer on LinkedIn. Moreover, use LinkedInto hide your name from search engines. So, people will have to login to see/stalk you.



                                    Sometimes, people fake resumes and even fake references. If that is the case, then you'll probably arouse the suspicion of coworkers even more.






                                    share|improve this answer
























                                      up vote
                                      -5
                                      down vote










                                      up vote
                                      -5
                                      down vote










                                      With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on...




                                      I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that you are either too paranoid or have something to hide (let me explain later). Please explain to us how having a LinkedIn account could increase the chances of you getting fired ? Unless you have no self control or turn uncouth when drunk, then the chances are zero.



                                      If you think that you are highly skilled, can ace interviews and give real references for your past experience, then maybe you don't need an online presence at all. Just hope that your potential employer does not count on it.



                                      Now for the part about hiding things. Sometimes people want to hide where they currently work (for privacy or from people they date). If that's the case, then you can omit your current employer on LinkedIn. Moreover, use LinkedInto hide your name from search engines. So, people will have to login to see/stalk you.



                                      Sometimes, people fake resumes and even fake references. If that is the case, then you'll probably arouse the suspicion of coworkers even more.






                                      share|improve this answer















                                      With all the news articles about recently about people getting fired because of things said online, I have never entered my real name online except on...




                                      I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but it seems that you are either too paranoid or have something to hide (let me explain later). Please explain to us how having a LinkedIn account could increase the chances of you getting fired ? Unless you have no self control or turn uncouth when drunk, then the chances are zero.



                                      If you think that you are highly skilled, can ace interviews and give real references for your past experience, then maybe you don't need an online presence at all. Just hope that your potential employer does not count on it.



                                      Now for the part about hiding things. Sometimes people want to hide where they currently work (for privacy or from people they date). If that's the case, then you can omit your current employer on LinkedIn. Moreover, use LinkedInto hide your name from search engines. So, people will have to login to see/stalk you.



                                      Sometimes, people fake resumes and even fake references. If that is the case, then you'll probably arouse the suspicion of coworkers even more.







                                      share|improve this answer














                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer








                                      edited Jan 31 '17 at 5:09









                                      Masked Man♦

                                      43.7k25114163




                                      43.7k25114163










                                      answered Jan 29 '17 at 22:35









                                      TruthSeeker

                                      16




                                      16






















                                           

                                          draft saved


                                          draft discarded


























                                           


                                          draft saved


                                          draft discarded














                                          StackExchange.ready(
                                          function ()
                                          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworkplace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f17106%2fi-have-absolutely-no-online-presence-if-you-google-my-name-will-this-harm-my-re%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                                          );

                                          Post as a guest

















































































                                          Comments

                                          Popular posts from this blog

                                          What does second last employer means? [closed]

                                          Installing NextGIS Connect into QGIS 3?

                                          One-line joke