Topic 3: Climb Online with Self-Branding

What comes into your mind when you hear the phrase online professional profile? LinkedIn right. You could not be more wrong. I am not advertising LinkedIn but do you know that LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet [2] I bet you even have an account with them. Okay now concentrate as I discuss the ways in which an authentic online professional profile can be developed.

The attention span of a human being is fairly short hence I intend to keep this blog very short and precise. Below is a very useful video that I found [3].

An authentic online professional profile is a profile that is genuine, a profile that is original, a profile that represents you. It is more or less about advertising yourself i.e. self-branding.

“77% of recruiters said they used search engines to find background data on candidates. Additionally, 35% admitted they eliminated a candidate because of what they found online.” [4]

So here are a few tips to help you develop an authentic online professional profile:

• Picture- it is said a picture tells a thousand stories so please make your profile picture as professional as possible, no drunken photos or funny pictures.
• Stand out- you should identify your Unique Selling Point (USP) and that should be your asset.
• Be current- keep all your profiles updated.
• Balance it- good balance between work and play does the trick; too much gimmicks is not good so as a stiff, dull profile.
• Be you- “if you need to conceal your true nature to get in the door, understand that you’ll probably have to conceal your true nature to keep that job”[5].

Below is a picture that highlights what employers look for the most in your public profile. [6]

“It used to be that your resume was the determining factor in landing a job, but now social platforms are becoming the norm for both networking and finding work.” [7]

Indeed there are lots of ways in which an authentic online professional profile can be developed but just a few has been discussed here due to restrictions. To conclude, I am sure you all have seen the hashtag that was trending last week about #TheDress and this week it’s about “what advice would you give your younger self” by using the hashtag #DearMe so mine is this blog! #DearMe #DearYou #YouNeedToReadThisBlogBecauseItWillHelpYouInLife

References:

[1] http://youthvillage.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/professional-online-profile.jpg

[2] https://press.linkedin.com/about-linkedin

[3] http://youtu.be/XR_WPzzx86o

[4] http://www.global-workplace.com/interview-tips/

[5] http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/

[6] http://www.onlinedegrees.org/c/career/

[7] http://blog.hiredmyway.com/6-things-your-professional-profile-needs/