This doesn’t mean you have to scrub all personality from the internet. A curated, intentional digital presence can be a genuine competitive advantage. The goal is to control the narrative.

Start by searching yourself

  • Google your full name. Then your name plus your city. Then your name plus your profession.
  • Check the Images tab.
  • Look at what appears in the first two pages of results — that’s what a recruiter will see.
  • Repeat in a private/incognito window to remove personalisation bias.

Clean up what needs cleaning

  • Old posts: Most platforms let you bulk-delete or archive. Tools like TweetDelete work for Twitter.
  • Tagged photos from others: Untag yourself. Set tags to require your approval before appearing on your profile.
  • Old accounts: Check HaveIBeenPwned to see what accounts exist under your email, then delete what you’re not using.
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Pro-tip

Anything you’d be uncomfortable explaining to a professional interviewer should be removed or made private. The ‘but it’s my personal life’ argument doesn’t hold up when the content is publicly visible.

Optimise your LinkedIn seriously

  • A professional photo (clear face, decent background, looks like you tried).
  • A headline that goes beyond your job title — include what you do and who you help.
  • An About section written in first person that tells a story, not a résumé.
  • Updated experience with quantified achievements (‘increased X by Y%’ beats ‘responsible for X’).

Build positive professional presence

A personal website or portfolio — even a simple one — signals professionalism and intent. Thoughtful comments in professional communities can appear in search results. If you have a niche, writing or sharing about it publicly establishes you as someone who thinks seriously about their field.

Checklist

  • I’ve Googled myself in incognito mode and know what appears
  • Old problematic content is removed or private
  • My LinkedIn has a good photo, a real headline, and quantified achievements
  • I have a personal site or portfolio link ready to share
  • I’ve set a Google alert for my name