While talent retention has been a recurring subject in the mind of recruiters who recognize that building a competent workforce is imperative to both the growth and success of a business, more and more of them are turning to new channels to compliment the traditional media for talent scouting. The interactive media does not only provide a prompt and effective way to match the right candidate for a position but a platform to trail the individual・s profile. As doing a search on the Internet has become part of the job of the HR, the information of the candidates either posted on the websites, blogs, YouTube and a multitude of platforms will be filed as a record of personal history for reference. The candidates may not aware such information they regard as a joke of common practices among the buddies in the cyber community will be unearthed as a revelation of their attributes in the eyes of employers. Manage your image in the cyber world should therefore need your attention in career positioning.

This issue catches my attention when I read about an interactive case study of Harvard Business Review Online in May, 2007. The case titled ：We Googled You； invites the readers to present their views or solutions to a fictional case: The US luxury retail chain Hathaway Jones・CEO, Fred Westen has found a promising candidate to open the company・s flagship store in Shanghai. Taking a glance on the resume of the candidate, Mimi Brewster, one can easily be impressed by her sound education background and high profile in the fashion industry. With well spoken languages in both Putonghua and Shanghainese, Mimi・s upbringing in a Chinese culture in her young ages gives her additional advantages for the new position. It is a perfect match to both parties.

However, the hiring is not as smooth as it seems when the vice president of HR brings to light more information about Mimi on the web search. Taken only as a general practice to check the references of the candidate, the search result revealed a story in which Mimi, fresh out of Berkeley, was identified as the leader of a vocal protest group that helped mobilize campaigns against the World Trade Organization. There was a photo story about her sitting outside China・s San Francisco consulate protesting China・s treatment of a dissident journalist.

Fred knows if he hires Mimi and her past conduct becomes widely known, his company・s expansion in China could be set back. Yet he appreciates such a promising candidate won・t always knock the door. The case generates bustling voices on talent management but what makes me aware is rather the issue of managing our online identity and image in the cyber life as that relates to our career path. There are going to be mishaps as too much personal information is indiscreetly posted online without realizing the consequences. Anything misconduct in the youth will become a regret when it is trailed in the background check by the potential employer. Candidates can be googled out of the contention for a job before they even get a foot in the door for an interview, and there・s no way for them to defend their past history.

The advent of websites, blogs, YouTube, MySpace and other online platforms have made all forms of personal disclosure available to the public access. It can be used positively and negatively. It may increase the odds for a potential employer to probe your attributes and non-career related aspects as evidence of how well-rounded you are in terms of personal interest. However, it may derail job opportunities if your web exposure demonstrates a negative impression on the recrutiers. As we live in a generation of open communication, we ought to give more heed to the online personae we are presenting to the world.