Firing Minutes Horror Story

Career Distinction, the seminal personal branding book by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixon makes the case for investing in your "e." One story in particular stands out:


Perhaps your Google results don't convey the image you want to share with the world. That was the case for Susan, a marketing executive who had been fired by the board of her company.

Her company posted the meeting minutes detailing her firing on the Web. When anyone performed a Google search using her name, the first item displayed was the summary of those meeting minutes.

She didn't understand why she couldn't get any job interviews- until an executive recruiter told her about her Google results. before that, she had no idea she had been "digitally dissed."

The moral of the story? Google yourself regularly. To those who don't know you personally, you are your Google results- no matter how inaccurate or unfair those results may be.