Microsoft deed onderzoek in de VS, GB, Frankrijk en Duitsland naar hoe mensen omgaan met hun gegevens op het net, dit naar aanleiding van World privacy day vorige week. De belangrijkste conclusies doen je misschien wel nadenken als je binnenkort zou willen solliciteren:

• The recruiters and HR professionals surveyed are not only checking online sources to learn about potential candidates, but they also report that their companies have made online screening a formal requirement of the hiring process.
• Of US recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 70% say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online. Though not as frequently, respondents from the UK and Germany report the same trend.
• Recruiters and HR professionals surveyed report being very or somewhat concerned about the authenticity of the content they find.
• In all countries, recruiters and HR professionals say they believe the use of online reputational information will significantly increase over the next five years.
• Positive online reputations matter. Among US recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent.
• Consumers surveyed have mixed opinions about the appropriateness of recruiters and HR professionals examining some types of online content. Most find it reasonable that recruiters and HR professionals check information on professional sites. There is greater concern, however, about recruiter scrutiny of photos, videos, and other personal content including blogs, personal social network pages, organizations they are affiliated with, financial information, and the like.
• Consumers surveyed use a variety of methods to monitor and manage the information posted about them online. Most notably, they use multiple personas, search for information about themselves, adjust privacy settings, and refrain from posting content that they believe could damage their reputation.
• Though most consumers surveyed do manage their reputation at least to some extent, there are a significant percentage of respondents (between 30% and 35% depending on nationality) who don’t feel their online reputation affects either their personal or professional life. Consequently, they are not taking steps to manage their reputations.

(check hier de bron bij Neville Hobson en download hier het volledige rapport)

Microsoft heeft ook nog tips voor als je jouw reputatie op het net wil te weten komen (en wil blijven volgen):

• Search your name. Begin by typing your first and last name into several popular search engines to see where you are mentioned and in what context.
• Focus your search. To get more precise results, put quotation marks around your name, so that the search engine reads your name as a phrase and not as two or more unrelated words that just happen to appear in the text. If you find other people who share your name, you can eliminate many false hits by using keywords. You can add keywords that apply only to you, such as your city, your employer, or a hobby.
• Search all of your names. If you have ever used a different name, if you use your middle name or initial, if you use a nickname, or if your name is frequently misspelled, search all variations to make sure you don’t miss anything important.
• Expand your search. Use similar techniques to search for your telephone numbers, home address, e-mail addresses, and personal Web site domain names. You should also search for your social security and credit card numbers to make sure they don’t appear anywhere online.
• Target specific sites. Check online phone directories, genealogy sites, alumni sites, the Web sites of organizations to which you belong or donate time or money, and other sites that compile personal, professional, or contact information about people.
• Read blogs. If any of your friends, family members, or coworkers have blogs or personal Web pages on social networking sites, check them out to see if they are writing about you or posting pictures of you.
• Sign up for alerts. Use the feature, provided by some search engines, that automatically notifies you of any new mention of your name or other personal information.

En hoe je jouw imago op het net kan managen:

• Safeguard your personal information. A basic strategy to avoid identity theft and online fraud is to keep your personal information private when you go online. Be equally careful about sharing information offline, and be sure you know how organizations will use your information before you give it to them.
• Use privacy settings. Most social networking and photo-sharing sites allow you to determine who can access and respond to your content. If you’re using a site that doesn’t offer privacy settings, find another site.
• Don’t mix your public and private lives online. Use different e-mail addresses for different online activities to help keep your public and private lives separate.
• Choose your photos thoughtfully. Whether you’re a child or an adult, make sure potential colleges or employers can’t search the Web and find photos that make you look irresponsible.
• Watch your language and content. You should always assume that anyone can read anything you’ve written online.
• Take action. If you find information about yourself online that is unflattering, embarrassing, or untrue, contact the Web site owner or administrator and ask them to remove it. Most sites have policies to deal with such requests.