So you have been waiting to get that dream job or that coveted promotion and feel that this year should be it. Or maybe you just want to increase your network. Or get a professional reputation. We dont need to be marketing managers to know that we need to stand out in the crowd to be considered amongst our colleagues or other job applicants for the coveted role. We would like our work to speak for itself but often, it is the person who makes the impression who gets the first cut.
The way to stand out, and we have all heard the term is to Build a Personal Brand. There are books in the market that teaches just how to do so. However we are mostly yet to realise is that with social network so widespread as it is, it is also an excellent opportunity to build our personal brand online and reach the very people who we would build a personal brand for. In fact there are online reputation management firms making a killing for movers and shakers out there. But for everyday people like us, it is not so difficult.
Recruiters and company HR more often than not nowadays vet their candidate on social networks. Linkedin is often used by recruiters as the first step in their search. Often social networking sites like facebook is used at the reference check stage if not before. Nothing we do online today is out of the purview. While legislature is still very grey in using social networking sites to relieve a person from a position, nothing bars a firm from not recruiting you if they dislike something on your facebook page, for eg- the drinking binge photo one went on with one's buddies last weekend.
While many would argue that facebook is supposed to be a private domain and companies have no right to make their decision based on what we are doing on your free time and putting up just for fun, company HR looking for their next Legal Head candidate, might not feel that way.
This is not a full tutorial for building or managing a personal brand online. This post would just give simple things to keep in mind while managing your online presence- the do-s and dont-s in order to get closer to the image desired.
General
The way to stand out, and we have all heard the term is to Build a Personal Brand. There are books in the market that teaches just how to do so. However we are mostly yet to realise is that with social network so widespread as it is, it is also an excellent opportunity to build our personal brand online and reach the very people who we would build a personal brand for. In fact there are online reputation management firms making a killing for movers and shakers out there. But for everyday people like us, it is not so difficult.
| Image: garyhyman.com |
While many would argue that facebook is supposed to be a private domain and companies have no right to make their decision based on what we are doing on your free time and putting up just for fun, company HR looking for their next Legal Head candidate, might not feel that way.
This is not a full tutorial for building or managing a personal brand online. This post would just give simple things to keep in mind while managing your online presence- the do-s and dont-s in order to get closer to the image desired.
General
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| Netpreneur.co.in |
- First rule, of course, is Be Online. If one is being interviewed and does not have a linked In profile, or any online presence, it may be seen as a negative.
- Choose the websites you would like to be represented on. For professional purposes LinkedIn and personal purposes Facebook is used by all the world nowadays. However, like said before, nothing is personal on cyberspace.
- The first point once one has the chosen vessels, would be to differentiate oneself from the crowd. Build a unique selling proposition. The USP. Any basic marketing book would say that. But building an USP online would entail selecting what to post on the chosen sites. Eg: If I am an HR professional who loves reading, and I would like to project myself as such, I would 'like' or 'repost' relevant news articles on various work related issues on linkedin, and on facebook, and to keep it fun and personal, would link my Goodreads account with facebook so that the books I read and review, would be posted on facebook also. (Goodreads is a book reviewing and appreciating website). Similarly, other websites can be researched according to a chosen line of interest. Some websites which have interesting content for professionals are time.com, hbr.com, other business sites which can be easily found on the net.
- Stay strictly professional on professional sites like linked in. Some personal views and posts can be overlooked on personal sites but never on professional sites. Linkedin in a place to increase one's network, choosing relevant people who would further our cause. If searching for a job, actively or passively it would be helpful to search out people working in executive search firms and sending them friend requests. Own industry people should also populate our network, with HR executives and managers thrown in for good measure.
- Linked In is a place where one can get noticed by writing small articles on the field of expertise. The articles must be original and should be something helpful to the professional community. This also gives the recruiter confidence in the seriousness and the potential candidate's expertise in her/his field.
- Follow industry experts, comment on their articles. This automatically gets into one's feed.
- If there is a profile attached, it helps to have one worth remembering. Look up how to make attention grabbing profiles. This may not be one's usual professional profile being sent to a recruiter or the HR manager. This profile would be custom made for the web. The profile you put up on monster.com, on the other hand, has to be professional and to the point. The linkedin profile can be colourful and fun.
- The photograph should preferably be a professional one. Too casual ones are best avoided if one is seriously looking for a job change, or for people who are not into creative/ media industries.
- Get recommended by people who matter. Co-workers and friends do not really count. A client, your boss, the CEO, these are the recommendations a recruiter will look out for. Honest (or dishonest for that matter) recommendations are very easy to spot.
- Photos on facebook should be strictly U.A. if one is serious about changing their job or for a senior professional, or any professional actually. Comments about workplace are a no-no, even positive ones may be misconstrued. Negative ones may cost a job. Try to limit all posts to immediate friend circle from the privacy settings. However, even if one does so, any post 'liked' may show up on a general feed. So it would work to 'like' select posts. A lot can be understood about likes/dislikes/ passion/ character from even the 'likes' and feeds on facebook.
- If one is actively searching for a job and going on interviews, it helps to clean up the facebook page, or at least the public parts which are not blocked by privacy settings. Please assume that your facebook page will be part of the recruiters research. There is no law to stop them from looking. It is even considered part of the reference check.
- Learn from the experts. One can look up the online presence of the people who are idolised. That is where you want to take yourself. To emulate what they do and like the pages they like are some ways to be seen. Or to follow the articles they write.
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| Image: chrisg.com |
- If one is serious to be looked at as a field expert, which is what self branding is about anyway, it helps to have a blog on ones favoured subject. For writers or people in creative media it is imperative to have their blog. Otherwise a senior manager or a field expert also gets a lot of positive feedback if they have a blog dedicated to their area of expertise.
- It also increases one's online presence to have a blog. The blog may be on any free blog hosting sites like blogger.com. Some people who are serious bloggers also have their own blogging sites and v-logs or video blogs.
- Link the blog to other used online sites, likes linkedIn or facebook. It helps to increase traffic. That way, even if one is a passive blogger, there will be ways to reach ones blog online. Active bloggers can post on other blogs to increase eyeballs and traffic.
- An often neglected piece of online tool to make or break an impression, it is surprising how many people dont know the basic email etiquette. It helps to read up on email etiquette online.
- Professional emails should steer clear of personal vision messages. It should definitely contain a good signature at the end with ones phone number or other relevant details, like designation and city.
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