In spite of your best efforts to create a rsum and present yourself as a qualified job

In spite of your best efforts to create a résumé and present yourself as a qualified job applicant, prospective employers have other ways of forming impressions of you, including all of the information available online. To discover what others can easily see about you, try these options:

1. Google yourself by typing your name into the search engine at www.google.com. Employers do it and so can you. The only hits may be advice you gave about training your Jack Russell terrier or a review you wrote about a great restaurant.

On the other hand, you may find comments you made at meetings you attended, information about you in newspaper articles, public hearings, or court actions. You may be able to get site owners to remove things you would rather not have on record. Learn how to “un-Google” yourself at www.wikihow.com/Ungoogle-Yourself.

2. Review your profile on Web sites like Facebook

(www.facebook.com) or MySpace (www

.myspace.com), and/or Web sites you have created. Imagine the impression your profiles would make on prospective employers and consider editing references and photos you no longer want to share with the world—or at least change your privacy settings. The photo of you from the Halloween party your sophomore year or the comments others wrote about you might not create the best impression.