Spring is a time of new beginnings and, if you’re looking for a job, new career opportunities. But those opportunities could be nipped in the bud if you haven’t taken the time to assess your online presence.

According to a study by job counselors at Purdue University, about one third of employers use online search engines to screen potential employees. What will they see when they Google you? If it’s pictures from that bachelorette party or a My Space rant about your current boss, it’s time to do some Spring cleaning.

How do you go about recasting the cyber-you in a better light?

Step 1: Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy

If you are the culprit, go straight to your keyboard and hit the delete button. Right now. You want to remove the information pronto since most search engines have cached results, so there will be some lag time between destruction of the offending source and its disappearance from public view. If you must communicate the details of your last sexual escapades to your three hundred closest friends, at least set your profile to “private.”

Step 2: Convince, Connive, Cajole

Do whatever you have to do to get personal, inaccurate or just plain embarrassing information off of the web. Lawmakers have not yet caught up with technology, so it is unclear whether a defamed person has the right to force webmasters to remove offensive material. Sometimes an email or phone call to a webmaster or blog author will do the trick. If you are unable to get negative information removed on your own, there is professional help.

For as little as $15.95 per month, a company called Reputation Defender, will “help you understand your online reputation, and will doggedly seek removal or alteration of unwelcome content if you instruct us to do so.”

Step 3: Location, Location, Location

Whether working on your own or through a service, there are times when negative information cannot be removed. Your next step in this case is to make sure positive information is ranked higher in searches. If you have a blog or website, use it to put a positive spin on your virtual presence. You may consider writing a press release or two and running it through a distribution site such as www.PRWeb.com. If your release passes their editorial review, it will be published on their site as well as in Yahoo! News and any other outlets that pick it up.

For tips on writing effective press releases, visit: http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php.

You’ll find help with search engine optimization, SEO, here: http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php.

If all this is making you dizzy, pull out the plastic and visit the good folks at www.VisibleTechnologies.com. Their job is to find out what the internet is saying about you and make sure the good stuff shows up first.

Once your online Mr. Hyde is put to rest, you’ll be ranked higher where it counts - in the hiring manager’s pile of résumés.