They Googled You Before They Called You. What Did They Find?
A little while back, I was reviewing candidates for a senior role. Strong field, genuinely competitive. One candidate in particular stood out on paper. Great experience, solid background, exactly the kind of profile we get excited about.
Then someone on the team looked them up.
There was a photo. From a party. About a decade ago. I'll let you fill in the blanks.
We did move forward with that candidate, and it worked out. But I will tell you honestly, it was a conversation we should not have needed to have. And that candidate came closer to losing the opportunity than they will ever know.
Here's the thing. I get it. I have scrubbed my own Facebook of photos I would rather not revisit from my twenties. We have all been there. But the difference between me and that candidate is that I did the scrubbing before it became someone else's problem.
Recruiters Are Looking. Full Stop.
I know this might feel a little uncomfortable to hear, but I would rather tell you directly than let you find out the hard way.
When a recruiter or hiring manager is interested in you, they look you up. It is not a maybe. It is not a sometimes. It happens, and it happens before you get the call. Your LinkedIn profile, your Instagram, your Facebook, whatever is public is fair game. Perception is reality in a hiring process, and a photo or a post from years ago can create a narrative about you that has nothing to do with who you are today.
A picture tells a thousand words. Make sure yours are saying the right ones.
Step One: Google Yourself. Seriously.
Before you apply to a single role, do this. Open a browser, type your first and last name into Google, and see what comes up. Better yet, open Perplexity and type "tell me about [your full name]." If you have a common name, add a detail or two, your city, your industry, your current employer.
What you see is what a recruiter sees.
If something concerning comes up, that is your cue to deal with it now, before it becomes a quiet reason why you did not make the shortlist for a job you never knew you were being considered for. That last part is the one that should motivate you, because you will never get the feedback. You will just not get the call.
Step Two: Audit What Is Actually Public
Go through your social media accounts and check your privacy settings. What can a stranger see? What shows up if someone searches your name?
A few specific things worth looking at:
Facebook. This tends to be where the decade-old party photos live. Go through your tagged photos. Go through your own posts. If something gives you pause, either delete it or adjust who can see it. Facebook's privacy settings let you limit old posts in bulk, which is a gift.
Instagram. If your account is public and you are job searching, take a scroll through your own feed with fresh eyes. Ask yourself: if a hiring manager saw this, what would they think? That is the only question that matters here.
LinkedIn. More on this below, but make sure your profile is complete and that your photo is doing you justice.
X (formerly Twitter). If you have strong opinions shared publicly over the years, have a look. People have lost opportunities over posts they had completely forgotten about.
The goal is not to scrub your personality from the internet. It is to make sure that what is public is what you would want a stranger forming a first impression of you to see.
Step Three: Your LinkedIn Photo Is Not Optional
If you are using LinkedIn as part of your job search, and you should be, your profile photo matters more than you might think. It is often the first visual impression a recruiter has of you, before they read a single word of your experience.
I have seen some choices out there. I say that with kindness and a little bit of concern.
Here is what a LinkedIn profile photo is not:
A photo from a wedding where you cropped out the person next to you (we can still see the arm)
A hiking photo where you are squinting into the sun in full outdoor gear
A beach photo with sunglasses
A photo with your grandchild, your dog, or your best friend from university
Anything taken in a dark room or a car
None of these are bad photos necessarily. They are just not the right photo for this purpose.
Here is what works: a clear, well-lit photo where your face is visible, you look like a professional, and the background is not distracting. You do not need to hire a photographer. You need decent lighting, a plain background, and clothes you would wear to a job interview.
Which, by the way, should be one level above whatever you think the workplace expects. But that is a whole other blog post.
The Bottom Line
You are being evaluated before the first conversation happens. The good news is that this is entirely within your control. A quick audit of your digital presence, a privacy settings check, and a decent LinkedIn photo are small investments that can quietly remove barriers you did not even know existed.
Do yourself a favour. Look yourself up today. Your future employer already has.
Jody Bomhof is the Founder of Momentum Talent Solutions Inc., a boutique Canadian talent placement firm specializing in strategic placements for HR, Marketing, and AI professionals. When she is not writing about the things candidates wish someone had told them sooner, she is out on the golf course, hanging out with her daughter or probably noticing someone's questionable LinkedIn photo in her head.
Looking for support in your job search, or want to connect with an organization that actually gets what you bring to the table? Reach out at info@momentumtalent.ca. We would love to be in your corner.
