6-Step Blueprint for Creating an On-Line Presence

Hiring managers continually use the internet to find out about you.  Upon receipt of your on-line application or résumé, it’s just a matter of simply typing in your name in the search box.  Through this one effortless action, an employer can attain personal knowledge on how you lead others, how you think, and what type of contribution(s) you provide to civilization in general.

Yes, all of this can be found just by paying a visit to your on-line presence as seen on Facebook, twitter, Linkedin, My Space, your blog, your YouTube additions, any online discussion boards you are on, groups you follow, community events you are involved in, and anything else that can be readily revealed about you.  This can also be accomplished just by searching your name on Google, or other search engines.   When you search your name, what do you find?  If future employers and others and find this same information, what will they think?  With this in mind, it may be time for you to create, delete, or re-create your on-line image - especially if you are a current or soon-to-be job seeker. 

Tell employers who you are!  Here are six steps for creating a professional on-line presence:

Step One. Determine precisely what you want your on-line presence to demonstrate to readers.  Like a really good autobiography, everything in your on-line profile should be honest, but also appealing to an employer. 

Step Two. Start out with a clean drawing board by either creating a new profile or re-vamping your older one.  When creating a profile on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or any other board, choose a professional name (or use your own) and upload a current professional picture of you (preferably in an office or professional setting).   Don’t shock an employer at an interview!  Using an older photograph could be easily seen by an employer as a deceptive move on your part.

Step Three.  Provide employment and training details that accurately represent you.  Use professional language and highlight both your abilities and professionalism.  Proofread every entry for accuracy in both concept and spelling.

Step Four.  If participating in discussion boards, thoroughly read and check all entries by others. Then, when making your response entry, use only the correct language, spelling, and punctuation.  You might even want to type your response in Word format on your computer and then use the computer’s spelling and grammar check, thesaurus, and correct any punctuation errors before copying and pasting your answer(s) onto the discussion board.

Step Five.  Clean out your followers list and also who you are following.  Keep family and personal talk to a minimum or zero.

Step Six. When displaying your likes and dislikes on your pages or blogs, avoid putting up items that would be considered as unprofessional by an employer including religious or political groups. 

© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2011-12. No re-publication of this article is permitted without express permission. This is an excerpt from "Successful Career Moves" by C.A. Stapleton. About the author:  C.A. Stapleton, A.S., B.S., M.B.A., is an experienced, published professional career consultant, mentor, and résumé/ biographical writer.