Skip to main content
EURES (EURopean Employment Services)
News article25 November 2021European Labour Authority, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Top 4 tips for jobseekers on building a clean and professional online presence

Today, more than ever, it is common for employers and recruiters to look up potential recruits online. Here at EURES, we have prepared a few tips to help you build and maintain a clean and professional online presence to show yourself.

 

Top 4 tips for jobseekers on building a clean and professional online presence
Unsplash

Many companies and HR agents admit that before they consider inviting an applicant to a job interview, they often look the person up online in search of ‘warning signs’, such as problematic web activity or public posts that are not in line with the company’s values. This means that an undeleted profile or publication from five years ago, which no longer reflects your views, could prevent you from getting your dream job. Conversely, a well-curated online presence could be a deciding factor for being invited to an interview.

Check your privacy settings

One of the first things you should do is make a list of all the websites and social media channels where you have a private account. Then, you can check the privacy settings for each account and make sure your photos, posts and activity are not visible to the public. In the case of Facebook or Twitter, for example, you can make your posts visible only to people who are in your friend list/are following you. Some platforms offer you the option to view your profile as an external user. This will help you identify any public activity or information that you might want to make private.

If there are any professional social media profiles that you want to keep public (for example your LinkedIn account), make sure your account information is up to date and you are happy with your posts and activity on this platform.

Delete any problematic posts

Take the time to go through your activity in your social media accounts and other web profiles and remove any information that might be considered problematic by potential employers. For example, this might include public web activity containing controversial or explicit content. While you are going through your past activity and posts, think about how they would be perceived by a potential employer. If in doubt, it is better to remove/delete the post or make it private.

Review any personal/professional websites that you have

If you have a private website for your hobbies, for example, think about whether you want it to link to your name or email address. If you have a professional website to showcase your portfolio or services, make sure you are happy with the information presented there and that it is up to date. In case you have any old websites that you no longer update, consider archiving them if it is easier.

Search for your name and email address online

This is one of the most common ways in which employers would first look you up. Search for your name between brackets (e.g. “John Smith”) and do a separate search for your email address. Go through the first few pages of search results and check if you are happy with what you are seeing. Make sure to check what images are related to your search queries too. If necessary, apply the tips above to get rid of these search results. Note that some websites might require you to contact their administrator and ask them to take down any information about you. Search results about your name or email address will not update immediately after your changes, so keep that in mind.

Check out these top questions that every jobseeker should ask at interviews.

 

Related links:

Top 8 COVID-19 questions every jobseeker should ask at interviews

 

Read more:

European Job Days

Find EURES Advisers

Living and working conditions in EURES countries

EURES Jobs Database

EURES services for employers

EURES Events Calendar

Upcoming Online Events

EURES on Facebook

EURES on Twitter

EURES on LinkedIn

Topics
Recruiting trends
Sector
Accomodation and food service activitiesActivities of extraterritorial organisations and bodiesActivities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and servicesAdministrative and support service activitiesAgriculture, forestry and fishingArts, entertainment and recreationConstructionEducationElectricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supplyFinancial and insurance activitiesHuman health and social work activitiesInformation and communicationManufacturingMining and quarryingOther service activitiesProfessional, scientific and technical activitiesPublic administration and defence; compulsory social securityReal estate activitiesTransportation and storageWater supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activitiesWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

Disclaimer

Articles are intended to provide users of the EURES portal with information on current topics and trends and to stimulate discussion and debate. Their content does not necessarily reflect the view of the European Labour Authority (ELA) or the European Commission. Furthermore, EURES and ELA do not endorse third party websites mentioned above.