Online Nicknames Google better than Real?

An anonymous reader writes "I was recently laid off, and during several of the interviews looking for a new job as a mid level IT manager, I was asked "So, I can just Google your name and find some of your work?" The answer is "yes", but searching for my name doesn't really bring up many results compared to searching for my online nickname which I have been using for about a decade. I am very tempted just to put that nickname on my resume. Is the professional, albeit technical, world ready for this step? Where should I put it? At the top or somewhere in the body?" And the other problem- how hard will it be to get a job when your nickname is something ridiculous. Boy I wish I would have thought of that in 95 ;)

Comments

yeah

[stoolpigeon]

i tried to get a position with the mafia - and i couldn't figure out why it didn't work out. it's all clear now.

Re:yeah

[Anonymous Coward]

- Now, what the fuck is his name?
- Ghost Dog.
- What?
- Ghost Dog.
- Ghost Dog?
- He said Ghost Dog!
- He calls himself Ghost Dog.
- A lot of these black guys, gangster type guys, they all got names like that.
- Is that true?
- He means like the rappers.
- The rappers got names like that -- Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ice Cube, Q-Tip, Method Man. My favourite was always Flavor Flav from Public Enemy.
- He got the funky fresh fly flava.
- "Live lyrics from the bank of reality. I kick da flyest dope manoeuvre technicality, to a dope track."
- I love that guy.
- I know nothing about that, but it makes me think about Indians. They've got names like Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Running Bear, Black Elk... That kind of shit.
- Indians, niggers...same thing!
- Johnny!
- Sonny? Mr Vargo?
- Go outside. Get Sammy the Snake, Joe Rags, Big Angie. Get 'em in here.
- Right away.

Re:Better? Depends on your view

[Anonymous Coward]

Mr. Anderson, it does not matter how often you change your persona, you are the only one we know who likes the gay midget goat pr0n.

At least porn doesn't pop up when you google

[antifoidulus]

your name. I happen to have the last name that is the same as the stage name of a popular porn actress, and my first and middle name happen to coincide with the first and last name of a male porn star she frequently stars with. So 90%+ of the stuff that comes up when you search for my name on google is porn......

Re:At least porn doesn't pop up when you google

[Fuzzums]

I thought 90% or more of the internet was porn.

Re:At least porn doesn't pop up when you google

[eulernet]

Let me guess... Dick Tracy ?

Re:They followed my email address

[forgotten_my_nick]

Your much too honest. Any serious geek would create a fake blog/live journal and fill it up with stuff they think the employer would want to hear.

Not going to put THAT on my resume...

[Anonymous Coward]

Anonymous coward...

Anonymous Reader?

[kfaroo]

You know CmdrTaco, this reminds me of the time I had to go to the doctor to seek advice about a "friend" who got crabs.

What we're not ready for

[Anonymous Coward]

is your mystifying use of the word "albeit." I don't think it means what you think it means.

Yeah but what if...

[w3c.org]

your nickname is, say, quite common ?

Re:Yeah but what if...

[gEvil (beta)]

your nickname is, say, quite common ?

I don't see too much problem with that. Although I am a bit disturbed that the Wikipedia entry for Indian Massacres comes up as the second hit.

Re:Yeah but what if...

[Mr. No Skills]

Or, uncommon, but clearly bad for landing a new job?

Re:Yeah but what if...

[3waygeek]

You're obviously applying for the wrong jobs -- with your handle, you'd be a shoe-in for upper management.

I didn't find much

[niceone]

http://www.google.com/search?name=f&hl=en&q=An+anonymous+reader

Google turned me down

[gEvil (beta)]

I interviewed with Google once, but for some reason they turned me down...

Worked great for me!

[Anonymous Coward]

Because of my internet picture, I now have a six figure job at a medical school. I work in the proctology department as live model for the students.

Sincerely,

The Goatse guy

Re:just like any other alias

[russ1337]

Absolutley not. I interview a *lot* of people and I have never seen a CV (resume) that lists any nicknames, alter-egos, aliases or anything that would point to the candidate having any kind of online presence. It woud probably count against them if they thought this was important.

So, you're saying I should stop putting my BF2 stats as my sig on my resume?

Damn English

[Poromenos1]

How do you parse the title, when almost each word could either be a verb or a noun? :( And if "Google" is a verb there, why is it capitalized? The answers to these questions still elude me, after minutes of staring at it.

Sue your parents

[InvisblePinkUnicorn]

What the hell were your parents thinking naming you Rock Hardon Beaver?!

Especially when their last name is Goldstein...

Re:They followed my email address

[vux984]

It probably doesn't hurt that cellar door is the most beautiful phrase in the english language.

Re:They followed my email address

[Joebert]

This is the reason I use separate business and personal emails.

Same here, it used to be such a pain in the ass when bank managers would ask me if I knew anything about "cr3d17_h4ck3r@h4x0rs.com".

Re:Only let them see what you want

[fredklein]

Thing is we didn't need someone with 6 years of experience,

Then's what was the problem? You lied about what experience you needed , he lied about what experience he had.

Re:Better? Depends on your view

[Dr. Cody]

Mr. Anderson: So what? You played a drag queen in the Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Well Mr. Goatse,

[PPH]

I suppose it all depends on what your potential employer might find when they Google your nickname.

Re: Being Suttle

[TaoPhoenix]

You mean this guy?

Mickey E. Suttle is a controversial and infamous self-proclaimed Star Wars fan who posts so-called Star Wars news, images and FAQs on his website, supershadow.com almost every day, using the nickname of SuperShadow. Many of his claims, most notably that he is friends with George Lucas and possesses advanced copies of screenplays, have made him a controversial figure among Star Wars fans.

The Whois service reveals that supershadow.com is owned by Mickey Suttle, of Hickory, North Carolina, who also appears to own a law firm. His location is also stated on FindLaw. [source?] The owner of the SuperShadow.com domain also owns MickeySuttle.com ...

Re: MultiLayered Personas

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone, quick, mod him down, in order to fuck with his "net credibility"!