Where are all the Jobs?: 5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Online Presence During a Job Search

Saturday, August 6, 2011

5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Online Presence During a Job Search | Career Rocketeer

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5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Online Presence During a Job Search

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 03:30 AM PDT

Assuming you haven't been living under a rock for the past decade, you know that the Internet is simply a treasure trove of tools, outlets, and opportunities. If you are unemployed, the Internet will probably result in your next application, interview, and job.
It's not enough to start a LinkedIn profile here or carpet bomb your resume there. Your online presence started the minute you sat down at the computer. However, it's up to you what kind of presence you want.
Check out these five ways to take charge of your online presence:
Google yourself (images too!)
This is by far the most basic (and most easily forgotten) thing to do when evaluating your online presence. Look up your name, your name in quotation marks, nick names, and, if applicable, your maiden name. The people looking over your resume are doing it, so why aren't you? Think about what you want to see about yourself, what you don't want publicly available, and what you actually see online.
Update your profiles
Now that you've Googled yourself, do you remember all the profiles you have out there? Update all of them—social and professional. You never know where a potential employer might find you first, so it is important for you to keep up-to-date information everywhere they might look. Likewise, delete profiles you'd rather not maintain (if you haven't logged onto MySpace in 3 years, it's got to go!).
Evaluate your privacy settings
There is no better way to take control of your online presence than to fine-tune your privacy settings. Keep in mind: websites frequently change their privacy settings. So, even if you think you are on top of who sees what, you need to double-check.
Set a goal
It's easy to simply declare, "I'm going to take charge of my online presence!" If you do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you're going to end up with a little bit of nothing. Set a few measurable, short- and long-term goals for yourself. For instance, in three months, your goal might be to connect with five potential employers.
Start a conversation
You have the profiles, the content, and the time — but is anyone talking to you? If not, don't wait around for someone to seek you out, instead, start conversations up with them! Follow potential employers and others you look up to on Twitter and casually start up a conversation with them. For instance, "Wow, what you said about X really made sense. What is your opinion on Y?"
How will you take charge of your online presence?

Guest Expert:
Tony Morrison is the Vice President at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. His roles include sales, marketing, and business development. He is passionate about building B2B and B2C client relationships and brings this passion to Cachinko where he focuses on helping job seekers to find their ideal job and employers to find, attract, and engage their next rock star candidates. Find him on Twitter and/or connect with Cachinko on Facebook or Twitter.