How to Manage Your Online Presence as a Jobseeker - CareerAlley

How to Manage Your Online Presence as a Jobseeker - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson In our increasingly digital world, your online identity matters, especially if youre a jobseeker. How easy it is for potential employers to find you on sites like LinkedIn can make a huge difference in terms of how many interviews you score. Additionally, an increasing number of employers are checking social media sites as a part of their comprehensive background checks on applicants. If employers dont like what they see on your Facebook and Twitter, you can be sure that theyll pass you up for another applicant with squeaky clean social media profiles. If youre not exactly sure how you should build and maintain your online presence while youre looking for work, here are some suggestions to get you on the right path: Fill Out Your LinkedIn Profile Completely LinkedIn is designed to help you attract recruiters and network with professionals in your field. If your LinkedIn profile is practically blank, you should probably spend some time filling it out. Firstly, make sure your professional headline is relevant and clear. Your headline is what will pop up in search engine results, and its the first thing people will see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile should also include detailed descriptions of what youve done at each of your previous jobs and a professional photo. Profiles with photos on LinkedIn are typically more appealing to recruiters. Additionally, you should consider taking some time to note all of your relevant professional skills. Recruiters will be searching for specific skills on LinkedIn, and youll pop up on the LinkedIn search results for those skills if you mention them on your profile. Separate the Personal and Professional You should assume that potential employers will check both your Facebook and Twitter pages. If youve posted any content or been tagged in any photos that you dont want potential employers to see, you should either spend some time removing questionable content and photos or you should make your personal Facebook and Twitter profiles private. Theres no question that jobseekers can benefit from keeping their profiles public, however. Employers look for someone who has the right skills and whos going to fit in with the company culture. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can give recruiters and employers a better idea of your personality and whether or not youd fit in at the office. Because of this, you may want to create a public Twitter account and blog that are separate from your private social media profiles. You can use your public Twitter account and blog to give employers a sense of who you are, what you like, and how you think, without revealing too much about your personal life. When employers make hiring decisions, they dont just consider your job skills. Many of them consider your soft skills, personality traits, and interests. Your online identity is a big part of how many employers will get to know you before youre hired. So, do everything you can to manage your online presence well. Familiar with personal information screenings and online background checks, Jane Smith regularly writes about these topics in her blogs. Feel free to send her comments at [emailprotected] This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook