How to Manipulate What Employers See When They Google Your Name

One of the first things most employers do when they receive your resume is plug your name into Google and see what comes up. This could be good or bad for you, or just plain embarrassing.

While there is no way to delete or stop negative results from coming up on Google, you can move them down the page or onto the second or third page of search results. Most employers probably aren't going to go through every result. They will probably stop after the first page if they don't find any dirt on you.

Google favors content from certain website over others. So the most effective way to move negative content off the first search page is to supply Google with positive feedback about you that is displayed on Google's preferred sites.

The first thing you need to do is create your own website. A website with your name or company name as the domain (www.yournamehere.com) will usually be the first result Google will bring up. If you ad sub-domains to this website, Google will usually view them as separate and give you a search result for each one.

Once you have your website set up, start a blog. You don't even need to write in it very often in order for Google to bring it up early in the search results. An important thing to remember is to put your name somewhere in the blog title or subtitle. Also link it back to your website or any other site that shows you in a positive light. There are many website where you can get free blogs such as Wordpress.com or Blogspot.com.

Google also loves social networks such as Myspace. Create a profile for yourself, again making sure to use your full name or company name. Be careful with Myspace when adding friends and family to your profile. They could leave discriminating comments or photos, even if just as a joke, that an employee researching you might come across and disapprove of. On the other hand, they might leave comments praising you that you hope people stumble across.

Flickr is also one of Google's favorites. Add photos of yourself, products you make if you have a company, logos, etc. Make sure your profile uses your full name and add captions and comments to your photos that also include your name. This will get you dozens of Google results, all positive.

If this hasn't given you enough positive web content look for other networking sites such as LinkedIn and Naymz, which will also show up on the first page of Google results.

Once you have done everything you can, be sure to continue checking Google often to make sure no new sites showing you in a negative light have appeared. Even if you can't move them you can at least be prepared to explain yourself.