CONTROLLING PERSONAL INFORMATION 2
Controlling Personal Information
Unlike in the past when curriculum vitae were the primary source of personal
information, the Internet displays most of the data nowadays. This change is a result of social
media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ among others. Consequently,
employers and other interested parties perform web background checks to establish people’s real
identity. In this regard, the best ways to control personal details in the Internet is by removing
harmful content about oneself and creating favorable information as well as adjusting privacy
settings.
According to Wang (2012), it is good to avoid being a keyboard warrior on the web if a
person wants to create a decent online reputation. First, people need to have a perfect online
image that represents their professional status. Second, one should regulate the type of photos
and information he or she shares with friends. Notably, embarrassing profiles are a source of
negative perception for viewers.
In the place of negative information, it is important to have a personal profile that
emphasizes one’s educational and professional achievements. Having a positive online
reputation augments the real life appearance in the workplace. However, it requires high levels of
discipline to achieve such standards. Alternatively, people can control who views their profiles
on the Internet by adjusting privacy settings. This strategy allows do decide who can see their
profile on their social media accounts, for example in Facebook.
All in all, personal information on the Internet can make or destroy one’s career. As such,
there is a need to control how much of such data reaches interested parties, such as employers.
The best methods to do so include removing negative information, creating a professional
profile, and adjusting privacy settings.
