I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this but I have neglected my self on the internet and it has come around to bite me in the ass. Well no more! Your online profile is very important, after all you are a brand, and you should market your self accordingly.

My name is Matt Dunlap (Matt#1 for future reference) and if you do you search for me on Google you probably run across all kinds of impersonators. This scares me, especially since many employers are no doing background checks on the internet before they hire potential employees.

In a 2006 survey by executive search firm ExecuNet in Norwalk, Conn., 77 of 100 recruiters said they use search engines to check out job candidates. In a CareerBuilder.com survey of 1,150 hiring managers last year, one in four said they use Internet search engines to research potential employees. One in 10 said they also use social networking sites to screen candidates. In fact, according to Search Engine Watch, there are 25 million to 50 million proper-name searches performed each day.
Source: Computerworld.com

For example, a quick search for Matt Dunlap will bring up this guy…He says he's name is Matt Dunlap, but we really don't know.

Matt delivers a warm, friendly voice for all your voiceover needs. His voice is perfect for your project whether it's a radio or TV commercial, industrial presentation, multimedia CD, game, web audio or book on tape.  He can deliver a range from "man on the street" to "announcer" to "soft spoken" depending on your needs. He is frequently compared to Tom Brokaw by friends and acquaintances.

Not bad…he seems like a professional guy. I don't think any employer will have a second thought about me if they run across matt#2

Then we get to matt dunlap #3 at AmericanSingles.com, The second result in google…This guy is going to ruin my life!

Don't get me wrong I feel sorry for guy, after all nobody likes women that hit you, but come on dude, think about the other Matt Dunlap's out there. On a side note, I like how he is looking for a friend or JUST A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP.

At least I come up first on Flickr, when searching for Matt Dunlap. Unfortunately, a few pages into it you run across this…not good for me! That can easily be mistaken as me, and I'm 75 percent sure it's not me, even though I've been there… We all have, just admit it!

So as you can see I'm on shaky ground for any interview process. I'm giving myself 3 months to become the most downloaded highest ranking Matt Dunlap on the internet. If I can't do it, I can always hire a professional

A great brand can take months, if not years, and millions of dollars to build. It should be the thing you hold most precious. Don’t let even one negative blog comment go unnoticed, call Andy Beal today to discuss an online reputation management strategy that matches your company’s needs.

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