Digital Footprint

Digital footprints in todays society can make or break the way people percieve you. This can be be good or bad depending on what people see or are looking for. Whether it is an employer looking into a future candidate for a position to work, or a college checking for student compatibility. A positive digital footprint can effect the opportunities one may get regarding jobs especially. Not only jobs and Colleges, but it can also affect banking and loans you may want to precure. There are so many ways your digital footpring can affect your livelyhood. While a positive digital footpring is really good, a negative one is so much worse. So you might want to ask “how to I create a positive digital footpring”. I hope to explain that to you now.

There are many different things employers look for when hiring such as A digital footprint, A positive digital footprint demonstrates how you are as a person online, and yourself on social media. It also positively shows who one is can be the best way for a recruiter to get to know the applicant. There are many different ways to create a positive footpring. Have good credit, keep positive on social media and don’t get in any trouble. Having a negative digital footprint will cost you jobs and many opportunities. A negative footpring could not only cost you, but also siblings, parents and children can be affected. Jalger states in The Power of a Positive Digital Footprint for Students “Many recruitment agencies share lists of ten negative things which employers don’t want to see online.

But what about positive things employers look for online? This may include: an indication of the applicant’s personality, online profile supports professional qualifications and conduct, good communication skills, creativity, groups which the applicant is participating in, do other people provide good references and comments about them, have they received any awards and accolades”. (April 11, 2011). This shows that an employer can explore the many different aspects of the employee just by searching up a name online. This however is not the only way to ensure a positive digital footprint for employers. There are many ways to create your own specific way one my want to be percieved by people who are possibly researching them. This may include creating a blog that shows the positive impacts that one has acheived and highlighting on the good parts of ones life. Angela’s Twenty Five Days, is a blog that is a perfect example of a positive digital footprint. It was started when Angela was in elementary school and is a clear, self written timeline on the movements, acheivements and goals that she has had throuought her life. It gives any future employers a sense of knowledge about her personally and will heighten her availability when getting jobs.

We discussed the positive and negative digital footprints and what they can mean to you and others. I hope you can now see that having a positive digital footprint is of utmost importance, not only to you but also the people closest to you.

“digital footprint (right)” by John Curtis (Teacher Librarian) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.