Employers are now admitting that they often Google applicants’ names in order to unearth extra information about them that they might not get in an interview. If your facebook has statuses of you mouthing off about how drunk you got, or how you’re “bored at work”, you can kiss that job goodbye. This is where personal reputation management comes in.

When Megan Maloney lost her job at a Detroit auto supplier last April, she made sure her online reputation was as strong as the image she would present in person to prospective employers. She Googled herself to check for unflattering links. Then she changed her Facebook privacy setting so no one could see beyond her profile picture. She updated her profile on LinkedIn.

Megan certainly did the right thing–you can read more about what happened to her and others at the link below.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/20/manage-online-reputation-leadership-careers-identity.html