The Brand Called ‘You”

Image from Adweek

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm Forbes

With the impact of digital world, even recruitment is making a shift towards the online network. This could be supported with evidence as shown in this infographic by Staff that 92% of companies use or plan to use social media in their employee search. Having to understand that an authentic online professional presence is vital for enhancing an individual’s employability prospects. So what can you do to make your online profile both authentic and professional?

The first step is ensuring potentially off-putting photos, posts and videos are out of reach of future bosses. As mention in my earlier post (Digital Profile) that even for the non-‘tech savvy’ employers of the world, Googling potential prospects has become an easy way of delving into the person behind a paper CV. Do make sure your past activities are of clean record too, unless you wish to end up like Stacy Snyder. Hence, it is very crucial for an online professional profile to keep potentially embarrassing items off the net entirely or at very least, set your privacy settings within the safe zone.

Perhaps you are one of those who have the tendency to type or upload something on the net on impulse or without serious thinking? I would then strongly recommend you to check out Internet Shame Insurance, this useful Google Chrome extension adds privacy reminders to Facebook, Twitter and Gmail.

The second step is to cultivate a positive professional online presence. I believed like most people, the first thing that comes to mind will be LinkedIn. It will serve as both the administration of a professional online profile and as a hub for the rest of it by providing links to twitter, blogs and any other online asset. A good LinkedIn page should be accurate, precise and to the point that it gives a fast first impression to your potential employers. Employers who are interested can later navigated away from LinkedIn to get a full impression of their respective candidate. (Guiding them to where you want them to)

Lastly, one also need use social media to find a way to stand out from the crowd.

(Emprego, 2014)

Finally, on the idea of making a profile authentic, being truthful and original in thought are the two key aspects. Like we discussed in Topic 2, you can never be sure of how private the Internet is, lie will eventually come unfold, so being truthful really is the best option.   

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Reference

Beese, J. (2013). 92% of Companies Use Social Media for Recruiting [Infographic] | Sprout Social. [online] Sprout Social. Available at: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-recruiting-infographic/ [Accessed 3 Dec. 2014].

Emprego, A. (2014). CV Criativo – Twitter Job Hustle. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiDCiLVJGnw [Accessed 3 Dec. 2014].

Giang, V. and Lockhart, J. (2012). BUSTED: This Is What Happened To 10 Executives Who Lied About Their Resumes. [online] Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/9-people-who-were-publicly-shamed-for-lying-on-their-resumes-2012-5?IR=T&op=1 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2014].

Kaufman, G. (2007). Woman Denied Degree Over ‘Drunken Pirate’ MySpace Photo Sues School. [online] MTV News. Available at: http://www.mtv.com/news/1558467/woman-denied-degree-over-drunken-pirate-myspace-photo-sues-school/ [Accessed 3 Dec. 2014].

Pash, A. (2011). Save Yourself from Weiner-Caliber Online Embarrassment with Internet Shame Insurance. [online] Lifehacker. Available at: http://lifehacker.com/5810453/save-yourself-from-weiner-calibre-online-embarrassment-with-internet-shame-insurance [Accessed 3 Dec. 2014].