If you've never Googled yourself (or haven’t done so recently) take a moment and do so now. 79% of employers Google job seekers before inviting them for an interview, so it’s crucial that you monitor your online brand. As a cancer patient or survivor, you have the added challenge that you naturally want to turn to online communities for support, but don’t want your diagnosis to be discovered by a (potential) employer.

Take a look back at your Google search results. If you didn't find anything about yourself, that can be almost as harmful as something negative showing up in your search. It shows employers that either you are out-of-date or are hiding something. Here are some ways that you can get professional visibility and improve your online brand:

1. Google someone well-known and respected in your field to get some ideas of profiles that come up in a Google search. Examples of free profiles you can sign up for include: LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Visual CV, personal website/ online portfolio, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

2. Once you are creating content about yourself, quiz yourself before posting anything by asking the following questions:

Would you want this on the front page of a newspaper or the home page of your favorite news site?
Would you want a boss or coworker to see this?
Would you want your grandmother or mother to see this?

3. Monitor yourself: Pay attention to privacy settings on social media such as Facebook; these allow you to control who sees what. They change frequently, so your best course of action is to remember that once you put information "out there" it stays out there.

If you found something that you may not want an employer or coworker to see in your Google search, Part 2 of this blog will explore how you can lessen the impact it may have, next week. In the meantime, download or order a free copy of our new Job Search Toolkit which has an excellent section on your online brand and reputation management!