Just lately, I attempted verifying a number of job candidates and was reminded how tough it’s to hint somebody’s digital presence by means of a easy title search.
Whereas it might seem to be a logical step within the age of digital transparency, the method is something however simple.
I had at all times recognized this was a problem, however at an expert stage, one would count on that if a candidate has a LinkedIn account or public work, it needs to be clear from the primary web page of a search engine end result web page (SERP). That assumption proved mistaken.
The difficulty? Nominal id similarities. Many individuals share the identical names. So, typing a candidate’s title right into a search engine usually results in confusion, particularly when a number of people with that title are lively on-line.
Why Nominal Similarities Matter
Take the instance of somebody named Chukwuma Adekunle. It’s extremely possible that a minimum of 20 others in Nigeria share that title. If it had been an English title like John Smith, you may be coping with a whole bunch globally. Now, if Chukwuma Adekunle applies for a job and also you attempt to analysis him, your search could return a number of profiles bearing the identical title.
What’s worse? The particular person with the strongest digital footprint dominates the primary web page of the SERP. If one of many Chukwuma Adekunles occurs to be a star or public determine with a Wikipedia web page and quite a few press mentions, the web prioritizes them, burying the job applicant on web page two or three – if they seem in any respect. In a fast-paced hiring atmosphere, few recruiters go that far.
The Rise of Digital Model Id
In 2025, about 68.7% of the world’s inhabitants, roughly 5.64 billion folks, have entry to the web. Someday quickly, that quantity could attain 100%, and with it, the variety of folks constructing digital footprints will skyrocket. The end result? The problem of comparable nominal identities will turn out to be extra complicated.
Within the digital world, your title isn’t simply an identifier; it’s a model asset. In contrast to the bodily world, the place your id contains your bodily presence and documentation, within the digital realm, your id is tied to your title, picture, and ideas. Standing out in that universe would require extra than simply being current; it should demand technique.
Sadly, the funding required gained’t simply be {financial}, it’ll be an funding in time and the standard of your digital output. To rise above others with the identical title, you should populate the online with high quality content material, your ideas, your work, and your story. You should be intentional about shaping how your nominal id is perceived.
AI Summaries as The New Gatekeepers
We’re already getting glimpses of this future. Platforms like LinkedIn have turn out to be houses for thought management. Engines like google now present AI-generated summaries about people. Once I searched my title, Jonah Nwokpoku, I used to be pleasantly shocked to discover a summarized profile generated by AI. I’m not a star by any stretch, however I’ve revealed over 1,000 articles on-line. That digital exercise most likely helped prepare the AI.
However what occurs to the opposite Jonah Nwokpokus on the market who haven’t constructed a footprint? The AI doesn’t see them. Within the coming years, I think AI will achieve the flexibility to generate a number of id summaries for folks with comparable names. Nevertheless, these with out a sturdy digital presence won’t present up in any respect.
And that’s the important level: AI will quickly turn out to be the curator of your id. These with extra searchable, considerate, and constant content material will rise to the highest, whereas others will stay invisible.
Visibility as a Digital Asset
The implications are profound. Companies will emerge whose core mission helps people distinguish themselves on-line, guaranteeing that your title means you. They’ll assist folks handle not simply private branding however id readability.
We’re nearing a world the place not having a digital id would be the similar as not present in any respect. Your title is not only a label. It’s a sign, a search time period, a filter, and more and more, a model.
Conclusion
As extra of our skilled and social lives shift on-line, nominal id will turn out to be greater than a label, it is going to be a digital asset. And like all priceless belongings, it should be nurtured, maintained, and strategically leveraged. Within the coming years, we’ll possible see an increase in companies, platforms, and even profession paths devoted to serving to people distinguish themselves amongst a sea of namesakes.
Whether or not by means of thought management, curated content material, or digital storytelling, the one solution to really “exist” on-line might be to say your title and form what the world sees once they search it.
In the long run, the query could not be “Who’re you?” however “What reveals up when your title is searched?”
Concerning the creator
Jonah Nwokpoku is the co-founder of SquirrelPR, a PR administration platform connecting organizations with Africa’s most credible newsrooms. He’s a seasoned public relations skilled with a confirmed monitor file of delivering profitable communication methods for finance and technology-driven companies throughout Africa.
