What Shows Up When a Recruiter Searches Your Name
Before a search consultant calls you, they have usually already searched your name.
It takes a minute. They look at your LinkedIn profile, then the first page of search results, then anything that looks interesting. They are checking that you are who your resume says you are, and that nothing will surprise their client later.
Most candidates never look. They spend weeks on a resume and never check what a stranger sees when they type their name into a search engine.
Sometimes the results are fine. Sometimes they show an old job title, a profile from ten years ago, a news story about a former employer or someone else with the same name. None of that is fatal. All of it is easier to fix before you start a search than during one.
This article covers what recruiters check, how to do your own search, fixing old or wrong results, building positive results, sharing a name with someone else and a checklist you can use this week.
What recruiters check
At senior level, the checks are usually simple and quick. Most search consultants look at:
Your LinkedIn profile. Does it match your resume? Same titles, dates and employers?
Company websites. Are you listed on the leadership page? Is your bio current?
News and trade press. Any coverage of you or the organisations you have led?
Board and committee roles. Do public listings match what you claim?
Speaking and writing. Talks, articles, podcasts or panels.
Anything unusual. Court or tribunal listings, regulator notices, social media that would worry a client.
For board roles, the checks are often deeper. Chairs and nomination committees care a lot about reputation.
How search consultants see it
When I was in executive search, a quick name search was part of building every shortlist. Most of the time it confirmed what I already knew. Occasionally it raised a question.
The questions were rarely serious. A LinkedIn title that did not match the resume. An old company bio that described a different role. A news story about a business the candidate had left before the trouble started. I would simply ask. A candidate who could explain it calmly was fine. A candidate who looked surprised, or had clearly never checked, worried me a little more.
The bigger problem was absence. A senior finance leader with almost no trace online could be harder to present. Clients wanted to see that the person existed in the market. A complete LinkedIn profile and one or two public mentions were usually enough.
Doing your own search
Do this properly once, then repeat every few months.
Use a private browser window. Your normal browser shows results shaped by your own history.
Search your full name. Then your name plus your current employer, your city and your title.
Check the first two pages. Most people never go further.
Check images. Is the photo that appears actually you?
Check news results. Separately from general results.
Search any former names. If you have changed your name, check both.
Note everything. Keep a simple list of each result and whether it helps, hurts or is neutral.
Then ask: if a chair read only this page, what would they think of me?
Fixing old or wrong results
Most problems fall into a few types.
Out of date profiles. Old profiles on industry sites, alumni pages or former employers’ websites. Log in and update them, or ask the site owner to remove them. A polite email works more often than people expect:
“I left the organisation in 2021, but I still appear on your leadership page. Could you please remove my profile? Thank you.”
Wrong details. A conference program with the wrong title or a directory with an old employer. Ask for a correction. Keep it short and factual.
Old social media. Personal accounts from years ago. Review privacy settings, delete what you no longer want public and close accounts you do not use.
News about a former employer. You usually cannot remove genuine news. You can make sure your own story is clear. If a business you worked for later had problems, be ready to explain your role and dates in one or two calm sentences.
Something genuinely damaging. If there is content that is false, defamatory or relates to a legal matter, get legal advice. Rules on removal and privacy differ between Australia and New Zealand and between search engines and sites.
Building positive results
You cannot control everything that appears. You can add good results that sit above the rest.
A complete LinkedIn profile. This is usually the first result for your name. Make it current and clear. See the LinkedIn profile checklist for executives.
A current company bio. Ask your communications team to update it.
Board and committee listings. Make sure your board roles show accurate bios.
Speaking and articles. Event pages and published pieces rank well for names.
Professional body profiles. Some bodies list members, fellows or committee members.
Podcasts and webinars. Show pages often include your name and title.
Two or three strong results on the first page are usually enough to set the tone.
Sharing a name with someone else
This is more common than people think. If you share a name with a celebrity, a politician or someone with a poor reputation, recruiters may find them first.
What helps:
Use a consistent version of your name. Include a middle initial if it helps, and use it everywhere: resume, LinkedIn, bios and email signature.
Add your city and title to LinkedIn. That makes it easy to separate you.
Build specific results. Talks and articles with your name and role together.
Mention it if needed. If the other person has a problem, a light word to the search consultant avoids confusion. “You may see another person with my name in the news. They work in a different industry and city. That is not me.”
Before a confidential search
If you are looking quietly while employed, check your results before you start. Make sure nothing suggests you are looking, such as an open to work signal or a recent change to your profile that colleagues might notice. See running a confidential executive job search.
Linking it to references
Search consultants often combine online checks with reference and backchannel calls. If your online record, your resume and your referees all tell the same story, trust builds quickly. If they do not, questions follow. See backchannel references in executive search.
Mistakes to avoid
Never searching your own name
Leaving old titles on former employers’ websites
A LinkedIn profile that does not match your resume
Arguing online about old coverage
Deleting everything and leaving no trace at all
Checklist
Use this before any senior job search or board application.
Searched my full name in a private window, first two pages reviewed
Searched my name with employer, city and title
Checked image results
Checked news results
LinkedIn titles, dates and employers match my resume
Current company bio is accurate
Old bios on former employers’ sites updated or removed
Board and committee listings accurate
Old personal social media reviewed and privacy settings checked
Ready to explain any news about former employers in two sentences
If I share a name, using a consistent version everywhere
At least two positive results on page one
A quick self-check
If a chair searched your name right now, would the first page help your case, hurt it or say nothing at all? If you do not know, that is the answer.
Your next step
Open a private browser window today and search your name. Write down every result on the first two pages and fix the top three problems this month.
If you want help with how you come across, my executive positioning helps senior leaders make sure their resume, profile and public record tell one clear story.
If you are planning a senior job search and want to check you are ready, book a complimentary Clarity Session.
