Reputation Changer: Online Reputation Management Not Just for Businesses Anymore

WEST CHESTER, PA, May 17, 2012

Online reputation management is a major industry, and a major area of focus for large corporations. Many Fortune 500 companies spend huge amounts of marketing dollars on online reputation management, and even many smaller companies are beginning to enlist reputation defense services. According to a recent study from Microsoft, however, reputation management is hardly just a need for businesses; it is also an important consideration for individuals, and job seekers in particular. Microsoft has found that 70% of employers say they have, at some point, rejected a job applicant because of online reputation issues--which is why more and more job hunters are turning to the services of companies like Reputation Changer.

Reputation Changer's Senior Strategist, Mark Reffert, says reputation defense is a particularly major issue for recent college graduates. "If you've just graduated from college, then you probably do not have a lengthy employment history for hiring managers to look at," Reffert explains. "That means all they have to go on are your references, your academic record, and, of course, your social media footprint."

Reffert says that, for job seekers, having a negative online reputation can very often spell the difference between landing a job and losing it. "For most employers, there are numerous potential employees vying for the same position," he comments. "If one of those employees has embarrassing photos or reckless Facebook comments spread all over Google, the employer will likely find them, and it's the easiest thing in the world for that employer to choose the next qualified candidate instead."

In other words, Reffert says, a person's online reputation can make or break his or her employment prospects. That is why the first step in the job-hunting process should be a careful online reputation inventory. "If you're going to be looking for a job, you're going to want to know what's out there about you on the Web," Reffert says. "That's the only way you'll be equipped to deal with it appropriately."

At the bare minimum, Reffert says, those seeking work should Google themselves, and also take careful stock of what is being said about them on Facebook and other social networks. Reffert adds that, in some cases, online content can be damaging even if it is actually written about someone else. "If you are applying for a job and you happen to have the same name as a convicted criminal, or a porn star, that could be big trouble for you," he confirms. "Employers likely don't have the time to sort through which online listings are about the 'real' you. They'll just move on to the next candidate."

Hopefully, Reffert says, this Google inventory will reveal no problematic listings. If there are negative listings or embarrassing photos on the Web, that is when an online reputation management company comes into play. "People think of companies like Reputation Changer as working primarily with corporate clients, but that's not the case at all," says Reffert. "While we have certainly worked with many businesses and Fortune 500 companies, we have also worked with students, software engineers, doctors, lawyers, pastors, and everyone in between."

Online reputation management companies cannot erase negative content from Google, but they can do the next best thing. A company like Reputation Changer can turn these unwanted listings into "non-issues," Reffert says. This happens through suppression. Negative listings are pushed off the first page of online search results and relegated to the third or fourth page--a position where, statistically speaking, they are highly unlikely to ever be seen.

According to Reffert, online reputation management is something any potential job seeker should consider. "You never know what's out there on the Internet about you, or about someone who shares your name," he concludes. "With online reputation defense, you don't have to leave it up to chance."

ABOUT:

Founded in 2009 by a team of online marketing and sales professionals, Reputation Changer is one of the premier providers of online reputation management. The company works 24/7 to provide comprehensive reputation management strategies to its clients, which have included politicians, public figures, Fortune 500 companies, and more. Reputation Changer owns several media outlets, and is known for its innovation in positive SEO techniques, social media implementation, and other strategies. The company is also unique for the custom, individualized process it takes for every client and every campaign.

Firm that assists clients with their online reputation management.