Hello,

I am curious if it would help to put my photo on my resume to distinguish myself from another job seeker who has the same name?

The reason I need some sort of distinction is because this other person who shares my exact name ("unique" spelling and all, the only difference is our middle initials) is a chronic offender and when you type in my name into search engines, a multitude of her mug shots and arrest records are the first results (pushing good results like my LinkedIn profile at least 3-4 pages down).  Things get further complicated because this person and I are approximately the same age (just six months apart) and live just two hours from each other in the same state.  I don't know her, but I found out about her when collection agencies started calling me for her worthless checks.

So this makes me worry that her bad reputation "online" could be damaging to my job search in real life, if an employer googles my name and assumes those bad first results are "me".

A friend suggested that I put a photo on my resume and/or some sort of statement to clarify who I am so that employers don't get confused by what comes up online.  Should I do this, considering that I work in the financial industry (not entertainment)?  Or is there some other way to let employers know that I am a trustworthy professional with a clean record?

Any thoughts/advice would be most appreciated.  Thank you!

Hi Kelliente,

I'm sorry to hear that you're in this situation. Sharing your name with this person is very likely to hurt your chances of getting interviews. Your friend's idea to include your photo on your resume is excellent (this used to be a bad idea in general, but it's more accepted now given the popularity of online networking sites).

Another idea is to include your own link to Google search results using a site such as Vizibility.com. The free service lets you handpick which Google results you would like to include in your link. Give this link prominent placement on your resume, cover letter, and all career marketing materials.

Also be diligent about pushing the undesirable results lower in the search results. Set up professional profiles on a number of social/professional networking sites, create your own website/blog that has your name linked to it, participate in online financial forums and include your name in the signature line, etc.

One more option is to consistently use your middle initial or full middle name and work on building strong results in the search engines for your first, middle, and last name. You can include instructions for the reader on your resume and cover letter, such as:
For Accurate Results, Google "Jane Mary Doe - Financial Analyst" (or just "Jane Mary Doe," depending on the search results).

I hope this is helpful, and good luck to you!

Hi Kim,

Thank you so much for your response and for sharing good ideas for my situation.  I particularly like the "For Accurate Results..." suggestion...I hadn't thought of putting it that way, but that's exactly the message I'm trying to get across to employers without associating any negative implications right at the start.  I will try that as well some of your other suggestions.  Much appreciated!

Have a wonderful day,
Kelliente

Hi Kim,

Thanks to your advice, I am actively working on improving "my" online results, but I don't have enough to make the "For Accurate Results..." suggestion work for me just yet.  What are your thoughts about adding a statement to a resume such as, "Not affiliated with Other Person of Anytown, USA"?  I'm in the process of submitting some applications this week, so I wonder if this statement would be acceptable until I can bury the undesirable Google results?  Or would you suggest not mentioning the other person at all?

Thank you,
Kelliente

Hi Kelliente,

I'm glad you're working on improving the search results for your name! Identity confusion is a serious issue, especially given the similarities in your case, but I wouldn't go so far as to reference this person on your resume. Include your photo as well as a link to your LinkedIn profile page so hiring managers will know that the mug shots that turn up are not you. Also, you can get good Google placement pretty quickly by setting up a few profile pages (e.g., about.me, linkedin, visualcv.com, and others).