Topic 3 – Developing an online profile
Discuss the ways in which an authentic online professional profile can be developed.
A professional profile is becoming of increasingly great importance in the employment market today due to the massive expansion of implementing technological – specifically web- and social media-based applications – within the workplace. Statistics published by Office for National Statistics (2013) show that 43% of the total businesses surveyed used a social media site such as Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn; 81% of large companies use them while only 42% of ‘small businesses’ use them professionally. Recruitment Buzz also states that 2 out of 5 employers use social media to screen out potential candidates depending on their online output (2014).
Because of this, it is imperative that people start to use social media to develop a professional online profile in order to maximise their employability. There are many different ways in which this can be achieved. Firstly Sue Beckingham (2013) states that first impressions count; it is likely that a web search of your name in any application i.e. Google, Facebook, Twitter etc. will be one of the first steps an potential employer will take, therefore it is vital that the information on your front or profile page is relevant, clean and professional – so no pictures of you vomiting after a night out!
Beckingham also maintains that we should develop and online profile in order to distinguish ourselves from those who we might share a name with – something that, fortunately, is quite easy for me as the only other prominent figure with my name that shows up in a Google search happens to be a fictional comic book character! This can be achieved by engaging with others who are prominent in the field you aspire to be a part of; interact with them and share useful information with them.
Lontos and Ciske (http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/8-steps-professional-online-presence, no date) make several recommendations, one of which is that you should develop two online profiles: a personal one and a professional one i.e. a private Twitter account for interacting with friends and family and a professional account to disseminate information and your views to employers and others in your field. This helps potential employers to only see that information which you wish to be public and maintains a more professional outlook.
The Ohio State University (http://asccareerservices.osu.edu/sites/asccareerservices.osu.edu/files/Building%20a%20Professional%20Online%20Presence.pdf, no date) also has several tips for their students regarding the use of social media in a professional capacity. Not least of which is their suggestion to decide on one username so that people know who you are regardless of which application they are viewing you on; a similar suggestion by both OSU and Lontos and Ciske is to use the same profile picture of yourself to provide authenticity and continuity across the web.
REFERENCES
Beckingham, S. (2013) Building Your Professional Online Presence. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/suebeckingham/building-your-professional-online-presence (Accessed: 09 March 2014).
http://asccareerservices.osu.edu/sites/asccareerservices.osu.edu/files/Building%20a%20Professional%20Online%20Presence.pdf (no date) (Accessed: 09 March 2014).
http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/8-steps-professional-online-presence (no date) (Accessed: 09 March 2014).
Office for National Statistics (2013) Business use of social media. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/ict-activity-of-uk-businesses/2012/sty-ecom-2012.html (Accessed: 09 March 2014).
Recruitment Buzz (2014) The role of social media in Pre-Employment Candidate Screening – Statistics and Trends. Available at: http://recruitmentbuzz.co.uk/the-role-of-social-media-in-pre-employment-candidate-screening-statistics-and-trends/ (Accessed: 09 March 2014).
