Online Reputation: Do interviewers actually Google you?
So long story short, I have a very unique name along with a mugshot from a year back. The crime was a simple alcohol misdemeanor but the mugshot is showing up as 2 of the first page search results when you Google my full name. I know most banks don't care about me having an alcohol-related misdemeanor but having this online presence couldn't be a positive.
I'm currently a freshman heading into my sophomore year in college interested in IB. So, I was wondering if it is likely that the recruiters/interviewers will actually google their applicants names? (as most applicants would have names which would bring up useless unrelated results).
Also, long shot here, but would any of you fine gentlemen/women know a reliable reputation/removal site to get this purged from the internet?
Thanks
Your recruiter is probably busy as shit and won't know anything about you until you sit down in front of them. Your mugshot is really online? That seems messed up.
It's fucked up, but that's how it goes these days. There's an entire business around putting up mugshots of people ASAP, then requiring $ to "update" the website with new information (i.e. w/o your mugshot if the arrest was unwarranted/case dismissed).
I don't know whether I should puke or buy stock in those companies
Yeah as you can imagine it's super controversial and constantly the subject of extortion vs first amendment lawsuits.
It's not a huge problem for most people because Google tanked them in their search algorithm in 2013. But alas, my name is very unique and has no other results fighting for web presence.
But what I'm hearing is that they probably won't google me then?
Well employers have background checks and all so wouldn't they find out one way or the other?
I can relate, even if your case was expunged it is still on the sites. Very messed up and frustrating. The best thing you can do is bury the info with tons of other positive related stuff searchable on the web. Maybe start a blog, post on various forums with your real name as a username, etc.
I think this might have been the ding that stopped me in my tracks in a final round at a FAANG co but who knows.
If it ever comes up, have a clean explanation and move on. Good luck!
Easy answer is that you have a couple of years to create a bunch of new content affiliated with your name.
I can't remember interviewing someone and NOT googling, linkedin, etc . them. If they don't do it up front, they will do it in some form of background check. Just the way the world works today.
I think it depends on the place you are interviewing at. I had a buddy interview who had an MIP and they didn't care. Also had an alumni at my school who had three drinking tickets and was dropped by the bank that originally gave him the internship offer. After they rescinded his offer he interviewed at another bulge bracket in NY and got the offer.
Just to address what has been said above and to provide clarity on the situation, the arrest didn't actually lead to a charge (was dismissed) and due to a police error doesn't come up in background checks (had one for this summer).
So really if my name isn't googled, I'm in the clear on all fronts.
So it's literally just a mug shot from a charge that has been dismissed?
Yep. I'm quite clearly pretty messed up in the photo though.
Same issue. Dirty industry. Try emailing the site most will remove it with that. I need to take care of another one at some point that says they will remove if I send in that it was dismissed but that means tracking down paper work.
I got way too many stupid misdemeanors that got dismissed did some dumb things but had a lot of fun in the process.
No, but during your internship they will see if you have a digital footprint. If you are found, they usually print and tape on your laptop/desktop.
I wouldn't trust any company where you have to pay to take it down. They promise to take it down, but own several other domains and the photo might keep popping up where they try to charge you more. That's what I hear, but honestly have no idea how it works or what it takes to successfully have a mugshot removed.
I'd suggest getting the case sealed/expunged and then sending that to the website that is hosting the image,
Yeah the thing about expungement is that it only addresses public agencies - meaning they have no obligation to take it down even if it is expunged/sealed.
Plus, most of these sites claim to take down the image if you show proof of dismissal, which I've sent in multiple times to no avail, so I doubt an expungement would do me any better.
I used to own a reputation management firm. Whatever you do, do NOT pay them. It will pop up on more sites because people know you're a target that will pay money. Create a ton of web 2.0 profiles and that should hopefully push that down on the SERPS.
Some of the reputation management firms have a guarantee that they'll take down any other results that pop up afterwards. Would it be naive of me to try them?
Depends on who it is. I've been out of the game since 2013 or so otherwise I would have recommended someone.
Perhaps an external company hired to do background checks? Most likely your information is in the web and with background checking firms.
You can pay to remove your information, which would be in the grey area. If you're in the UK, there are laws which help you do that.
There was someone from HR who posted on this site that he/she reviews FB profiles and dings any and all Trump supporters. I think the answer is yes.
You have to be pretty fucking dumb to *blindly *support any politician so...
which country is it where you can somehow petition to have online results about you removed
A friend of mine interned in MBB a few years back - a couple weeks into his undergrad internship, he got called into HR's office.
There, he was sat down and presented with a thick ream of paper upon which his entire facebook/online presence had been printed - literally pages and pages of all his photos, etc. Everything "questionable" (and there was a great deal of it) was circled in red. He was told to remove these things or face consequences. Of course, he deactivated his FB for the remainder of that internship.
Not sure whether this also occurs at investment banks, but you should prepare for the possibility.
They did him a huge favor then. Most places wouldn't give any warning before firing the employee. At least that's how many public accounting firms are...they'd swamp you with work, chew you up, make their money off you, then spit you out.
I am not in banking (am a consultant) but Google 100% of candidates I interview. Not sure how I would feel about an alcohol-related misdemeanor, but will likely depend on the misdemeanor itself.
For example: drunk & disorderly in public - not likely to care. Driving under the influence resulting in a fatality - might care given how recent.
Either way, I don't ok/boot people based upon criminal record. That is up to HR/Practice Leader to do. The absolute worst is that it could bias my impression of your judgement.
I Google every candidate I interview.
At my last job when I would interview people, I would google any candidate that we were serious about. Does it show the charge with your picture? If it didn't have the charge listed, I would be more likely to ding you since it could've been for anything. Seeing that it is something alcohol related when you were younger, I probably wouldn't care since we've all been there, you just got caught.
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