Your Reputation Score Explained

Summary: This guide explains what your Reputation Score is, how it’s calculated and when to use it. This score is central to understanding how your online presence is helping or hurting your career.

What’s a Reputation Score?

Your Reputation Score tells you whether your online presence is helping or hurting your career. It lets you know if you would:

• Pass an online/social media background check
• Fail an online/social media background check
• Excel in an online/social media background check

BrandYourself’s Reputation Score is the only technology that accurately scours the entire web to match your images, social media updates, Google results, and more against a known database of red flags and reinforcing factors that employers use to screen you.

Think of it like a credit score, but for your digital footprint.

The Reputation Score ranges from “Very Poor” to “Excellent”.

Similar to a credit score, your reputation score ranges from from “very poor” to “excellent” and tops out at a maximum of 800 points. People with higher scores are statistically more likely to win career opportunities than those with lower scores.

How to Improve My Reputation Score

The easiest way to improve your online reputation and maximize your earning potential is to minimize current or future Risk Factors, and follow your custom Action Plan from BrandYourself.

No matter where you are in your career, online Risk Factors determine whether or not you earn your full potential. Identify and remove Risk Factors like those listed below:

1. Unprofessional Behavior

• Talking about skipping or showing up late for work/school
• Complaining about co-workers, bosses or past employers
• Admitting to sub-par work or not caring about your job/education
• Any other behavior that would be questionable in the workplace

2. Unprofessional Communication Style

• Swearing or profanity
• Poor grammar or spelling

3. Drinking or Drug Use

• Excessive drinking, getting wasted, etc.
• Photos of chugging beer, doing keg stands, recklessly partying, etc.
• Talking about illegal drugs
• Photos of illegal or prescription drugs

4. Criminal Behavior

• Any admission of illegal behavior (shoplifting, breaking and entering, theft, etc.)

5. Polarizing Views

• Extreme positions on controversial current events and issues

6. Sexually Explicit Content

• Talking about sexual behavior, genitals, porn, etc.
• Posting sexually provocative photos
• Any other sexually charged content that could make someone feel uncomfortable

7. Violence or Bullying

• Hostile speech, hateful insults, threats, etc.
• Giving the middle finger or other gestures
• Talking about using weapons

8. Bigoted Behavior

• Discriminatory remarks toward race, gender or religion
• Any other indication of intolerance toward groups of people

Create and enhance Positive Online Factors that help your Reputation Score:

Don’t dwell on the negative parts of your online reputation that are out of your hands. Instead, accentuate the positive and build up your assets. Whether you’re applying to school, looking for a job, or own a business, the following are some of the most common online factors that keep people interested in you and keep your Reputation Score high:

1. Examples of Professional Behavior

• Leadership
• Engagement on LinkedIn according to a small study
• Awards and honors
• Information that supports their qualifications for the job

2. Ability to Communicate Professionally

• Language that is appropriate
• Writing that is free of spelling/grammatical errors
• The content of communication is relevant to your industry

3. Professional Images

• Photos connected to your name are appropriate for work
• Images reinforce your professional pursuits
• Images support your hobbies

4. Appropriate Online Engagement

• Engaged in relevant communities to professional life
• Not engaged in groups/hobbies that are against your company’s codes
• No polarizing views that are discriminatory, bigoted, sexist, etc.
• You do not bully/harass people online
• Regularly update your online properties
• Others post/publish positive things about you online

5. Life Outside of Work

• Extracurriculars
• Hobbies
• Demonstrated interests and passions
• A personality that fits with the company’s culture
• Creativity

When should I check my score?

Before applying to college

47% of admissions officers who looked up potential applicants online say that what they found had a positive impact on students’ application efforts. (Kaplan).

Before a job interview

86% of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals say that a positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent. (From CrossTab’s, “Online Reputation in a Connected World”).

As a leader

77% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media. 82% of consumers are more likely to trust a company whose CEO and leadership team engage on social media.

Right now

Wherever you are in your career, a strong online personal brand is in your best professional and financial interest! Get a headstart on that next milestone, by building your personal brand now.

Get started using BrandYourself’s DIY Reputation Management Software

At BrandYourself we take online reputations seriously, and our mission is to provide everyone with the tools and services they need to take control of their personal brand.

Our newest features give you even more insight into how you look online, the impact that it’s having on your career, and steps you can take to improve how you look online.

And it’s not hard to do, we built our tool to walk you through the process. To increase your earning potential, log in once a week and spend 30 minutes following your customized Action Plan. Over the course of a year, you’ll see significant improvements.

Don’t have time to do it yourself? Improving your Reputation Score takes time. Let us do the work for you and build your personal brand.

Check out our Managed Services, and give us a call at 646.863.8226 or schedule a free consultation to discuss your options.

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