Creating an authentic online professional profile, – how?
In this post I will discuss the ways in which an authentic professional profile can be developed. First of all, what does ‘authentic’ mean, and how (and where) can you create online professional profiles?
Oxford Dictionaries defines being authentic: to be something genuine, based on facts, accurate or reliable (Accessed March 2014).
Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, WordPress (or other blog sites) and Twitter are some online sites where you can share information, thoughts, visions and experiences with an audience. These days, creating a professional network is even more important than ever, with a more competitive job market, and it is a good way to create contacts and stand out from the crowd.
Creating your online presence, and even better – your professional online presence, is a great way to show future employers who you really are, your skills, your education and your experiences. LinkedIn for an example is like an online CV, and on some recruiting pages you can apply with your LinkedIn profile. (Have a read about this here)
What you shouldn’t do on pages like LinkedIn: (Hyams, C. 2012)
- Use a non-professional profile picture
- Lie
- Send invitations to connect with LinkedIn’s default text or using the ‘friend’ option
- Not provide links to your other online social network profiles – you´ve got nothing to hide, right?
- Leave your profile incomplete
- Share the exact same ‘message’ on all of your profiles
- Spam
However, you should follow these tips: (The Guardian, 2013)
- A professional looking profile picture preferably used on other social media pages so you are easily recognized online.
- Provide links on your LinkedIn profile to connect all of your online social networking profiles to create an authentic, trustworthy online professional ‘identity’ (make sure you’ve got nothing to hide first).
- When connecting with new people online, you should take the time to write why you want to connect with them, and if you met them on a professional seminar/conference – do not invite them to be your ‘friends’, – you have a professional relationship.
- You should complete your profile 100%, LinkedIn for an example, will guide you through the steps to making your profile complete.
- Especially when applying for a role within marketing, you should brand yourself as you would brand products online. Now a days, the main focus in marketing is about ‘content marketing’, make sure everything out there supports the same message about you, to create an ‘authentic online professional profile’. Your tweets, status updates etc., should support the same message, but the content should be presented differently on the different pages – think about what you are posting before actually posting it.
Here’s a quote about the importance of authenticity to build brands, and in the job market, we as humans, are also brands that needs our own brand image. (Access more quotes here)
Because LinkedIn (as an example) have become a very important factor of today’s recruitment market, it is very important to follow the tips given to create an authentic online professional profile. This is especially important because a 100% complete LinkedIn profile, includes a link to your other social networking profiles, and in order for you to be authentic (real, genuine, accurate and reliable) you must be consistent and careful with everything you post on your profiles – it can, and will, come back to you.
For additional reading for tips on how to optimize your online professional profile(s), click here ) Tips for students, on how to use LinkedIn, access here.
Resources used:
Burch, K. (2013). Students: how to use LinkedIn at uni to help you get a job when you graduate. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/dec/30/linkedin-tips-for-students-employability?CMP=twt_gu. Last accessed 8th March 2014.
Hyams, C. (2012). Personal Branding on LinkedIn: 10 Mistakes to Avoid. Available: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/11/09/personal-branding-on-linkedin-10-mistakes-to-avoid/#WByq6jGKiFd0UI49.99. Last accessed 7th March 2014.
Oxford Dictionaries. Authentic. Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/authentic. Last accessed 6th March 2014.
