Forbes Profiles Michael Fertik, ReputationDefender
Anna Vander Broek has a smart article over at Forbes that profiles Online Identity Management, Online Reputation Management and ReputationDefender CEO Michael Fertik. Specifically, the article looks at the impact Google results have for job seekers. The piece examines how potential employees and professionals can optimize their Google results and cultivate a professional online identity. Quoting from the page:
“Treat Google like your résumé,” says Michael Fertik, founder of the online reputation management service, ReputationDefender.com. If your first five Google hits highlight your old job as a market analyst it may be hard to sell yourself as a travel writer.
[SNIP]
“Know what you want and who you are,” says Fertik. This may mean you need to choose what to keep online and what to remove. You don’t always show your serious side to your friends or your party side to your boss. The same rules apply online.
If you’re unhappy with your Google hits, there are a few things you can do. Think about using a service like Fertik’s own ReputationDefender.com, which can help you manipulate your Google results, among other things, pushing positive links higher and negative ones lower. Giant sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter will be higher in Google searches, so focus on those sites first.
[SNIP]
“Google is now a utility for every life transaction,” says Fertik. “You have to keep yourself fresh.”
Keeping information about yourself current, updated and relevant will ensure that your online identity is an accurate reflection of who you are.
