By now you have probably heard the story about Trina Thompson, the Monroe College graduate who is suing the school for the $70,000 she paid in tuition because she hasn’t found employment since she received her bachelor’s degree in April. Much of the buzz around the story revolves around commentary that Ms. Thompson’s expectations are unrealistic, she doesn’t seem to have a grasp of the current economic factors that could be affecting her job search, she doesn’t understand the nuances of an effective job search, she has a sense of entitlement, and  her  academic track record  pales in comparison to many of the other recent grads she is competing against.

But one topic that I haven’t heard people discussing is the fact that Ms. Thompson, who probably had little to no online presence before last week, now has a very distinct online presence…50 pages on Google in fact…all of it dedicated to this story… and most of it fairly negative coverage. Overnight she has gone from a digital unknown to what William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, authors of Career Distinction, would call digitally dissed.

People have short memories, but Google and other search engines have changed all that. It’s very easy to learn about a person and their past by doing a simple online search. And decision makers do this on a regular basis. As a matter of fact,  a recent Execunet survey revealed that 86% of recruiters surveyed Googled candidates before calling them in for an interview and 44% of those recruiters eliminated candidates based on information they found out about them online.

With 50 pages of bad press in front of her, it looks like Ms. Thompson will have a lot more to blame for her stalled job search than the perceived inaction of Monroe College.