Job Search Strategy # 4
Build Your Online Brand
One of the most important weapons in your career management
arsenal is your online presence. If you are a serious candidate for a
position it is very likely that at some point an Internet search will be
done to discover what can be learned about you. To see what others
will find, “google” yourself. Enter your name in quotations for a
more efficient search, and there you will see what recruiters, hiring
professionals, and potential customers will find when conducting a
search about you. If you are like most people, there will either be bits
and pieces of information, or nothing at all. Here is your opportunity
to tell your story and communicate your brand.
LinkedIn.com is a great place to start your online branding and
networking. The professional summary is an important branding
element. Your career coach can help you develop your message and
fine-tune your summary prior to posting. Your LinkedIn profile will
optimize your visibility on search engines and will likely be the
highest-ranked item on the search results page. An additional benefit
is the ability to build your network on the LinkedIn site. You will
watch your exposure grow exponentially through your added
contacts, bringing you closer to hiring managers in companies of
potential interest. Also, members of your network have the ability to
write endorsements, so the searcher sees not only your professional
profile, but also recommendations that others have made about you.
If you have a more common name like John Smith, it will be
challenging to differentiate yourself from all the other John Smiths
out there. Experiment with using various forms of your name to see
where you have the least competition. Try using your full first name,
your middle initial, or full middle name. The point is that when a
hiring manager, HR professional, or recruiter searches for you online,
you want to be found. You will be lost among millions of results in a
search for “John Smith” (unless you happen to be the founder of
Jamestown), whereas a search for “Jonathan Reginald Smith”
currently yields only one result. Once you have decided what form of
your name you are going to use, be sure to use the same format on
your resume for consistency.
Zoominfo.com, a data aggregator, is another effective tool for gaining
additional exposure. At Zoominfo you may find a profile created for
you from miscellaneous information already found online, i.e.
association websites, articles you have written or that mention you.
You will want to claim any existing profile and add your professional
summary and other historical data. If you do not find an existing
profile you can build one from scratch.
VisualCV.com is an exciting tool that offers the opportunity to create
your own website using resume content, charts, graphs, video and
other information. It is a powerful application but requires creativity
and planning to take full advantage of the resources offered. You can
start by importing information from your LinkedIn profile and build
from there.
A strong online presence gives you a significant competitive
advantage. These steps will help you communicate your value to
people who are inquiring about you.
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This article is taken from the Job Search Strategy Guide
Copyright © 2009 Career Development Consultants, Inc.
Used by permission. jobsearchstrategyguide.com
Note to Job Seekers: Current economic conditions have lead to a proliferation of job
scams. Venturion encourages those in career transition to read the following:
Six signs it's a job scam - CNN.com can be found at
www.cnn.com/2009/living/worklife/07/15/cb.avoid.job.scams/
Avoiding Online Job Scams | Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, found at
www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs25a-JobSeekerPriv2.htm
