This past week I was reminded of the dangers of overexposing yourself to the world. Being on the Internet as I am to look for work sometimes has its pitfalls and hidden dangers. You always have to be wary of what you write and communicate to others. This is a good lesson to learn. Most career experts will tell you that the first thing you should do to make sure that your name is not associated with any black marks is to Google yourself on the Internet. If you find any, then you have to take action to clear them up. Unfortunately the career experts don't tell you how you can clear your name easily. It takes time and effort on your part.
One of the concerns that have been raised at various workshops I've attended is the fear of being overexposed due to the fact that whenever you apply for jobs on-line you are giving the potential employer personal information on what could be a publicly accessible site. I understand these concerns for they are mine as well. One way to avoid personal information being leaked, even though its not foolproof, is to look for the lock and https sign on the url. Most companies that require personal information should have this secure information url. If they don't, and they require personal information....avoid them like the plague.
I know for some of you that its extremely difficult to expose yourself in any way on the Internet. I am learning, however, that in some cases you must get over that fear and press on. The Internet and the many facets of social media can help you succeed if you use them right. Unfortunately some haven't and have paid the price for it. The best advice that I've been given is to be vigilant and wary of those job offers that seem to offer you the moon for little time and effort. For if you are smart, you won't overexpose yourself and be able to offer your potential employer evidence that you are savvy enough to avoid Internet traps that could expose their company's information.
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