By Adrienne Erin
Online Career Tips, Contributor
It’s 2013, and everyone and everything is now online. People socialize online, shop online, job search online, and even order food online. As a result, companies have made their way to the Internet as well, advertising on webpages and making use of social media networks and personal websites in order to make sure that their products are easily accessible to the online population. However, there are some who get too caught up with their Facebook and Twitter pages, sharing details about their personal life that should remain private on the most public forum to ever exist: the Internet.
In a world where companies looking to hire new employees simply type candidates’ names into Google to see what comes up, it’s very important to have a respectable online presence. Yet while an acceptable reputation obviously does not include Facebook pictures of you downing shots at some late night party, it is important to make sure that a search of your name does trigger a response of some kind. You don’t want to be anonymous. You just need to make sure that it’s the sort of response a Hiring Manager would want to see.
1. Blogging
Creating a blog is a great way to get create a professional online presence. Starting a blog closely related to the industry in which you would like to work is best, both because it can be added to your resume and because Hiring Managers will see it when researching you. For example, if you are hoping to get a job at a local inbound marketing company, blogging about the search marketing industry is the way to go. If that doesn’t inspire you, any topic is fine, as long as it does not contain inappropriate subject matter. Maintaining a blog will show that you are motivated and disciplined, attributes that are made clear by a blog that is updated frequently, regardless of the number of followers it has.
2. Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, and the other prominent social media networks are all fantastic assets for creating a strong online reputation. These sites, above all else, do the most in getting your name out there and in different places. Additionally, it shows that you are aware of the times and susceptible to change if you are constantly making profiles on the newest and most popular sites. This looks particularly good for someone looking to build a career in an industry like marketing, which relies heavily on social media and requires a knowledge of the different networks and how they function.
3. LinkedIn
While technically belonging to the second item on the list, LinkedIn is worth mentioning on its own. With profiles that display a person’s resume, skills, and educational background, LinkedIn users are able to connect with friends and coworkers, and through them be introduced to other members in order to expand their professional networks. This often results in informational interviews, and sometimes even job offers. Users are also able to write recommendations on other people’s wall. Nowadays, it is fairly common for HR Representatives to use LinkedIn as a means of doing a background check on prospective employees, and it is therefore in everyone’s best interest to create and continually update a LinkedIn profile, preferably one with multiple recommendations attached!
4. Reputation Management
It is always good to keep track of when your name is used on the Internet, particularly when third parties are mentioning you in incriminating ways. In order to ensure that nothing said about you online will negatively affect your reputation, use a tool like Google Alerts or Talkwalker Alerts. With these online tools, you can make it so that every time your name is used online, you will get an email with a link to that post or article. In this way, if you come across anything that might potentially harm the persona you have created for yourself, you can reach out to the writer to edit his comment.
Unfortunately, people with common names will have a harder time creating a distinct online reputation for themselves, as a search of their name will bring up countless other people. However, working to create a respectable online presence can only be beneficial. It is honestly worth the effort.
Comments are closed.