As you advance in your medical career, you can expect future employers to take an in-depth look at your life outside of the hospital walls. As a result, it is imperative that you remember your persona is more than what you put on your resume or state in person; your persona is also who you appear to be online. You are a combination of all the information available online about YOU, and it is probably more than you think.

What Will a Google Search of Your Name Reveal?

The list includes links or images your friends link you to, things you pinned in Pinterest, photos, screen shots of Snapchat, court records, social profiles, schools you’ve attended, police reports, genealogy, significant others, places you lived, an aerial view of where you live, home values and much more. For under a dollar, several sites will provide more detailed personal information. What can people find out about you on these paid service sites? Your current address, phone number, email address, location history, family members, marital status, photos and social profiles are all readily available.

For under a dollar, several sites will provide more detailed personal information. What can people find out about you on these paid service sites? Your current address, phone number, email address, location history, family members, marital status, photos and social profiles are all readily available.

Go to Google or your favorite search engine and type in your name. You probably see LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, White Pages, Pinterest, Google +, Instagram, Amazon Reviews, the Myspace account you created in 2001 with photos from that awesome middle school dance.

View All Your Profiles As Others Would See Them

On Facebook, go to your profile, click View Activity Log in upper right hand corner, click view as, and then choose public or a specific person. Your tweets are easily searchable on Twitter, which is good, but not so good if you don’t want it to follow you around when you're trying to land a job. When using Twitter, post with the assumption that your employer will see it one day. If your grandma wouldn’t be happy to see it, don’t post pictures, tweet about it or allow others to post and tag you.

It’s not uncommon for job seekers to be rejected because of what employers find about them online. According to a Career Builder Survey, 43% of employers are now using social media to research job seekers. If a potential employer senses that you might be a bad apple, they will continue to look through the plethora of qualified people. You need to make sure that your entire online world portrays you as the sensible, hard working, intelligent physician you want them to see you as.

If you want to stand out and get noticed for the right reasons, be sure your online presence reflects this fact. Ensure that your online persona reflects the individual you are and strive to be.