A significant majority of employers now search candidates' names online to check their reputation before hiring. If they find anything to suggest you could damage their business's reputation or that you could otherwise be a liability, you are probably not going to get the job.

These are the three biggest concerns of employers when checking your online reputation:

Embarrassment

If sensitive information about you or your personal life is easy to find, many companies will not want to hire you out of fear that this could cause potential difficulties with your clients and coworkers. Embarrassing or sensitive information about employees can be used to damage the reputation of their employer, so for many recruiters you simply won't be worth the risk even if you are the perfect candidate for the job. 54% of employers have decided not to employ someone because of material they found online.

Professionalism

A reputation for unprofessional behavior is a major deterrent to potential employers. Something as simple as having bad manners in an online forum could give the impression you have an abrasive character that could be problematic. This is especially the case if you have a reputation for being rude or unprofessional in public or to a customer. No business wants to risk their reputation on employees they think have a history of unprofessional conduct. In addition to concerns regarding your treatment of customers, this could also tell employers you might be disruptive as an employee, and cause workplace conflicts, poor morale or low productivity.

Capability

If your online reputation suggests you are incompetent or produce low-quality work, this is very concerning to potential employers. Even if you have the perfect qualifications for a role, a recruiter discovering this reputation might believe your work is inconsistent or that you are exaggerating your skills. Once a recruiter has this impression of you it can be hard to recover from, regardless of whether it is true or not. Furthermore, if an employer has any doubts about your consistency or capability, they are also forced to consider the potential burden you could put on the colleagues who have to pick up your slack. The last thing any employer wants is a new hire that creates more work for the rest of the team.

In any industry, employers are looking for talented and conscientious individuals who will fit right into their way of working and integrate themselves with their new teams. What they are not looking for is a new employee who could cause the company embarrassment, be abrasive with customers and colleagues, or create additional work for other employees. If there is a single article online suggesting one of these things about you, it could have a serious impact on your career prospects.

ReputationDefender's [1] online reputation specialists are experts at protecting your online reputation - eliminating any negativity that could harm your career prospects.

For more tips and information about the impact of a negative reputation on your professional life, view our video [2], follow us on Medium [3] or get in touch by calling +44 800 131 0700 [3], or emailing hello@reputationdefender.com [4] to find out how we can improve your employability