If you are graduating from college, this is a good piece of advise. Pay attention what is being said about you online, which pictures you are tagged in, and who can see the entries on your blog. All of this can have a profound effect on your future career.

Earlier this month, 900 graduates of Missouri Southern State University and Pittsburg (Kan.) State University began the search for a job.

Along with sending out resumes and buying suits for interviews, the graduates were given an additional charge: “Clean up their digital dirt.”

Many employers look at your online reputation, this has been proven by survey after survey. The only way to fix the problem once it has gotten out of control is to contract some reputation management services firms and see which one has the most effective methods for the most reasonable prices. However, this is no quick fix–it takes time and patience.

When people think of the reputation management industry, they usually think of CEOs and celebrities as being the main clients. However, one demographic that is routinely ignored is automotive dealers. They make up a good deal of the industry’s clientele, with almost every dealership engaging in some form of reputation management. A recent survey, by AutoUSA, brought this fact to the forefront of the industry’s mind.

the survey found that many dealers are actively involved in online reputation management. More than 85% of survey respondents say their dealerships manage online reputations by following up on consumer opinions posted online, with 62.3% saying they have a well managed program and 23.2% saying their program is not well managed and they only follow up on a limited basis.

Automotive dealerships need to pay special attention to their online reputations because of the hyper-competitive atmosphere of the industry. Cars are big purchases and that means that people pay special attention to the process when they’re buying one, but it also means that dealerships have to convince the customer that they offer the best deals and services.