Developing an online professional profile

It is constantly mentioned how companies are now more and more using Google to find out more about potential employees. A post from Mindflash in 2011 shows that 18% of employers found content on social sites that influenced them to hire a candidate, but perhaps most interesting I found was the 50% who said they got a good feel for the candidate’s personality.This makes me think that to develop an “authentic” online profile, you must be honest about your personal life as well as your qualifications. Now that employers can find out more information about you online it is important that you can show to them the person you are with your online identity and not just a list of qualifications.
There is other evidence of this as in theguardianjobs shows us that the report, What Employers Look Up on Social Media sites said that employers are interested in information such as personal interests.
One of the main online professional identities people can create is a profile on LinkedIn. It allows people to create a professional profile that develops a lot further than their CV, Nicole Williams said “Unlike a resume where you want to be really succinct, you can actually broaden your profile”. This means that to develop your profile you should be as detailed as possible when building your account. One should display as much information as they can when building a persona for themselves online as it will show employers the details of your qualifications and work experience etc. as well as showing them what kind of person you are. Putting information about volunteering in projects may not be related to the job you are applying for but other qualities such as being able to work in a team may be desired.
On LinkedIn you can connect with companies and contacts that are relevant to you and relevant to your jobhunt. This means that other employers can see which parts you are interested in and allow them to understand more what you are looking for as well as seeing what kind of employee you can be.
Schawbel mentioned that job seeker passion has become the deciding factor in employment, this shows that the people who truly care for the work they do will be able to post their experience and passions online for the professional profile. It is these people who will stand out more in the job market.

References
Mindflash (2011) Social Screening: How Companies Are Using Social Media To Hire & Fire Employees
Theguardianjobs (2011) Why online CVs are essential in your job search
Halzack S. (2013) Tips for using LinkedIn to find a job
Schawbel D. (2011) 5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 Years