As the online world has evolved rapidly, we are now able to find and access information quicker than ever before. The downside to this is that employers and recruiters are scrutinizing applicants like never before. At the press of a button, they can get an insight into your entire social life online.

Study after study confirms how important social media and search engine results are for a candidate’s success. HR representatives love to cross reference you across Facebook, LinkedIn , Twitter and the blogosphere.

So while having a strong personal brand will help your chances of securing a job opportunity, digital dirt will smash your chances to pieces in seconds. All it takes is one wrong photo and you are out of the running.

Here are 4 quick steps to review your online situation:

Search for yourself
What does a Google search reveal about you? What will the results mean to the HR person, the recruiter or the hiring manager? Whatever comes up on the first page could tip the balance for your success or failure. Go beyond Google as well, check Bing and Yahoo. Search for your name and keywords or your job title and see what happens. Try the image and video searches for additional results.

Linkedin
I will assume that your Linkedin profile is employee friendly as it is a professional network after all. What you could consider is the Groups and Associations you are a member of, whether you want them to be visible on your profile or not.

Facebook
The bad news is that Facebook is the employer’s favorite lookup site. The good news is that you simply change your security settings and they will only see your mug shot or nothing at all. First off change who can find you in a Search, then change who can see what on the Profile Information page. This should make things secure for you.

Twitter
The bad news is that everyone can follow and see what you do on Twitter. The good news is that you can set up more accounts, there is nothing stopping you from adding as many as you like. So if you do it under your own name, make sure your content is clean.

Conclusion
Be aware of your entire digital footprint, be it on social media or blogs/websites. The Internet never forgets, as they say. The best way to ensure your online brand is clean is to keep anything offensive to yourself and realize that the web is in the public domain and nothing else.