In many previous articles, we have talked about the importance of keeping your social networking profiles clear of anything you don't want an employer, or potential employer to see. You can be sure that any company that is considering hiring you is going to, at the least, perform a Google search on you to find out who you are and will be evaluating your social networking presence. It doesn't matter if you think it is fair or not, the truth is that they will.
So, what if you want to be controversial on the internet, and also want to have a job? For some people, cleaning up their internet presence is enough, but there are others who don't want to stop trolling, posting drinking pictures, making lewd comments to friends and so on. I can respect that, in a way. Some of the most influential people in history have been ones whose views were considered “inappropriate” at the time. So, if you want to keep your conduct off the radar, here are some tips on how to go about it.
- Create a new identity- Pick a name. Any name. Try to come up with something you can live with and try to make it at least close to being a real name. For example, Skilover isn't your best choice. Sam Slopes might be a bit better. If your name doesn't fit a traditional name format, you may have trouble on some sites, so stick to a first and last name.
- Create a backstory- Now that your identity has a name, it needs a date of birth, a gender and city and state. It may be easier to use your own city, state and gender (you don't have to), but be sure to change the date of birth. You may want to decide what sort of education this person has an where they went to school. If it isn't important for you to connect with previous classmates, then it may be better to skip that information entirely.
- Make a new email address- This is very important. Don't think that you can use your personal email address on this, it will blow your cover fast. So set up a new email account using a free provider, such as Gmail or Yahoo.
- Build Social networking profiles- Make a Facebook for your identity. Here, you may or may not want to invite your personal friends or your family. If you add your friends, there is a good chance that someone in your friend's circle will recognize you. To be completely off the radar, try not to add them, but if you do, make sure that they know that you don't want your accounts to be connected in any way.
- Never break character- You can do as you like online with the new identity, but be sure never to break character. Don't forward the new email address to your old one. Be careful to keep your professional accounts completely separate. I know some people who even go so far as to use a different browser for their alter ego.
With these tips, you should be able to have a little bit of anonymity, but please know that these are just a few helpful hints, and there is still a chance that you could be found out. Depending on what sort of behavior you are trying to keep quiet, you may be slightly embarrassed or a little humiliated. If your life would be ruined if your alter ego was discovered, think long and hard about if it is worth the risk. If it is just a matter of wanting to have some privacy, and the risks of being found out aren't too high, there is certainly nothing wrong with having an alter ego online. So be careful and have fun.
Are you looking for a new job in Philadelphia? Check out PhillyJobs.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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