Vanity Googling: not just for vain people

Vanity Googling, I learned recently, is the name for the act of typing your own name into a search engine and seeing what comes up. It sounds like a silly practice, but it's a really good idea if your involved in a job search. Put your name into a few search engines, like Bing, Yahoo, and (ntach) Google and see what comes up. If you have a really common name (like Mary Johnson), put in your name and "architect" or your college or something else that might actually bring you up. Then check the results for the first five pages.

An article in the September 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine profiles a few good ways to clean up your online profile if you find less than stellar pictures or comments about yourself (or by yourself!) online. (Yes, it's a magazine aimed at women, but both genders can benefit from this article.) It also provides you with a few ideas for adding good stuff to your online profile, like using a LinkedIn profile and even a Twitter account to toot your own horn about your accomplishments.