As a student, are you aware of the ways that colleges will search for you online? When you apply to college or a job, it is very likely that they will go on the internet and search for you so that they can get a complete picture of who you are. In today's video, we're going to show you the top 7 ways that colleges search for applicants online. We recommend that you follow the steps below and use Google to search for yourself, so that you can see the positive and negative results associated with your digital footprint.

Do colleges and employers actually look up applicants online?

While employers and clients may appreciate the impressive information contained in your resume, and the way you present yourself when you’re in “professional mode”, they also know they’ll get a more complete picture if they look beyond your resume and interview. To find out more about the “real” you, they’re turning to the Internet. This is why you need to stay one step ahead by presenting yourself in the best possible light online. How do we know employers really take the time to check out job candidates’ online profiles? Simple, we ask them. We have also seen how offline life choices can affect your online reputation. At Smart Social, we constantly talk with online safety experts to find out how teenagers can stay safe online. We learn from college admissions experts about how a teen’s online reputation can help or hurt their college and even scholarship opportunities. We also ask company founders how they work to maintain and improve their business’ reputation with savvy use of social media.

The top 7 ways that colleges will search for you online

• First Name + Last Name
• “First Name + Last Name” (in quotes)
• “First + Last” + City
• “First + Last” + School
• First, Middle, and Last Name
• Social Media Usernames
• Image Results

Searching for your first and last name

Searching for your first and last name is the first step colleges will take to learn more about you online. Doing so tells Google to scour the internet for any page that contains your first and last name in any order, even if your last name is at the top of a page and your first name is at the bottom. Searching in this way generally delivers results that include other people with similar names. Things like your Twitter feed might show up in these results, so it's important to only post positive content to the platforms that are likely to show up in this search.

Using your first and last name in quotes

Next, colleges are going to search for your first and last name in quotes. This will only return results that have your first and last name in order. This phrase can be anywhere on the page, but Google will only show results where your first and last name are together. This gives colleges a more direct look at your digital footprint.

Searching for your first and last name in quotes, with your city

After getting a better idea of your digital footprint, colleges are going to search your first and last name in quotes and then add your city to that search query. This modifier allows colleges to further hone in on your digital footprint.

Looking up your first and last name in quotes, with your school

Colleges are going to look up your first and last name in quotes and then add your school to that search. They will use the school that you are applying from to get an even more detailed idea of who you are online.

Image search results

When colleges search your first and last name, there's a very good chance that they will click on the image search results. No matter how many positive images appear in your results, colleges and employers aren't going to look for the most noble photos of you. They are going to look for the images that seem out of place. Check your Google images results and find the images that aren't in line with the story you are trying to tell.

Do you feel comfortable sending colleges your social media usernames?

Ensure that you feel comfortable sending colleges your social media usernames by using social media to tell your story in a positive way. Openly giving your social media handles on your college application shows the school that you are proud of who you are on the weekends. Colleges want to see who you are off campus, and it's never too early to start building this story online. Middle school is a great time to start thinking about how your digital footprint can affect your chances at getting into your dream school. Be online and be positive, because colleges, internship coordinators, and employers are going to ask for your information so they can fact-check. It's better to be upfront and show that you have nothing to hide. Understanding the way that colleges search for you online gives you the opportunity to create a plan and post positive content for them to find.

How to see your online results as others see them:

Now that you understand that employers and colleges can (and will) go online to find out more about who you are as a person, here are a few do’s and don’ts about checking your own results. Internet searches might produce different results about you than you might expect, but you can take steps to control those results.

‍Don’t: Check your online footprint once and then forget about it. Your online results probably aren’t changing dramatically every day. However, a new post made public by you or someone else, or a change in the way search engines decide to rank your results, can make all the difference in affecting your prospects.

‍Do: Examine your online footprint on a regular basis. We recommend checking it at least once a month (and in certain cases, once a week).

‍Don’t: Perform a less-than-thorough search. If you only search your first and last name and assume that’s all anyone ever sees, you could be missing much of what’s in your digital footprint. Many colleges and employers will keep searching to find more relevant information by adding additional search terms to your name.

‍Do: Try different name and keyword combinations. Most people are surprised to see how easy it is to find information about themselves if they go beyond their first and last name. Use the search term combinations above to get a better picture of your digital footprint.

‍Don’t: View your footprint through your eyes only. People look at their search engine results and don’t notice anything unusual because they understand the context of everything they’re looking at. But will everyone else? What about that quirky Facebook club you started five years ago and forgot about after a week? It’s still on your profile, and potential employers may not get the joke. All those party pics a friend recently dug up and posted, with mentions of you holding one of those ubiquitous red plastic cups? How would an employer know if those were from years ago and not last night?

‍Do: Ask a trusted friend or colleague to go through your profile with you and give you honest feedback. They will probably have lots of questions about what they’re seeing, which can give you a much better idea of what your digital profile is telling your future college or employer. When they ask questions or make comments, be sure to write them down and listen. Try not to get defensive. Their honest feedback will give you insight into the mind of a college (or outsider) as to what others think about your “digital first impression.”

Conclusion

Having a positive digital footprint isn’t something you achieve once and cross off the list. It’s an ongoing process. You always have to stay on top of it, and if you follow the tips above, it will become second nature to continue to improve it with less and less effort. That way, you’ll welcome people searching for you online and remain confident that they’ll find the most positive, interesting, and genuine aspects of your life that you’ve worked hard to cultivate.