Staying Personal Brand Consistent

In today's world, it is easier than it has ever been to reach someone. The list goes on and on (and on and on) of all the ways you can keep in contact with everyone you encounter. Often times, that can lead to overexposure, which can lead to an inconsistent message of your personal brand, which can lead to potentially not getting hired for a job! Sounds overly dramatic? Well, think about it!

It's very easy to get connected in social media sites - like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogspot, MySpace, YouTube, etc. Then again, if you get too overly connected - you can't always update them the way you want - not because you don't want to, but because it takes too much energy to do so. For example, who still has a MySpace? I do! And it still says that I'm a freshman at OIT and that I am an employee at Cold Stone Creamery - I think - I'll have to check?

One thing to remember about social media sites, and digital networking in general, is that it's ALWAYS going to be there. Seriously. Search your name on any search engine and see what happens. If you have a very common name, it may be a little harder to find you (example, "Steve Rogers" or "John Smith"). However, if you have a name like mine (Nick or Nicolas Odeh), it's more than likely to have the information that's actually about you.

On a whim, I searched "Nicolas Odeh" on Google, and most of the stuff on the first two pages was actually about me - my Facebook, LinkedIn, and some stuff here on the OIT Campus. 

To the right is the first page of when I searched "Nicolas Odeh."

Next, I searched "Nick Odeh." Also, Google thought it really knew what I was up to by recommending I search "Nick Odeh Oregon." - talk about kinda creepy. Below is the image from what I got from searching "Nick Odeh."

After I was done feeling vain and conceited about searching myself, I realized a few things:

1. My MySpace was at 2nd only to my Facebook page. Only problem is, I haven't really updated that since my Freshman year. The information is more than likely inaccurate because of that - and this is really one of the first things my (hopefully) future employer is going to see?
2. Everything that has been associated with me over the last few years (well, since high school), is still online - but not just on page 1 of Google. As I continued to dive through the information, I found things that even I had forgotten were online about me.

                     DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU! 

 The last thing you need is to be applying for a job, and then realizing one of the reasons you weren't picked  was because there were a lot of inconsistencies about your personal brand online. 

    3.  Everything I do online is probably going to stay there forever: This is where it can really come
         back to bite you. If you have an opinion, sure, write it out - but before you hit submit, think about this;
          is this really something I would be okay with reading in The Oregonian? If the answer sounds
         something like"probably not," then don't post it!

Here are some final pieces of advice on how to avoid inconsistencies:

1. Link your social media together: A lot of the websites now have the capability to do that - my Facebook and Twitter are linked so that one updates the other. In fact, nearly every website has a "Link with Facebook" feature.
2. If you're not using it, delete it: If you're not using your MySpace/whatever's not popular in 5 years - delete it! There's no reason to keep it in existence.
3. Search yourself, and see what pops up: This is kind of like checking on your credit score - make sure everything you search is accurate, especially before a job interview. This way, you can either eliminate things you no longer want there, or can identify them in the interview by disassociating yourself with it (i.e. someone else with your name).