Online Personal Branding Affects Your Career Success
It is becoming the norm for potential employers to pre-screen you in Google before inviting you to the all important job interview. This step can make or break you getting hired, in fact, 22% of hiring managers said they used social networking sites in 2008 to research job candidates, up from 11% in 2006. An additional 9% said they don’t currently use social networking sites to screen potential employees, but plan to start.
Search for your name in Google………right now!
Go through the first four pages of results. Do any results relate to you? The way you appear online is your only chance to leave the right first impression with hiring managers, who ultimately decide your fate. Is your personal brand utterly apparent in your Google results?
Found nothing about yourself? Employers think your personal brand is unimpressive.
This is the age of the web. Employers will ask themselves, what have you been doing all this time if you haven’t been leaving comments on blogs and forums, posting original content and generally being active in your niche online? A lack of online activity shows you’re not as interested in your area of expertise as your peers. If you can’t find any “breadcrumbs” that demonstrate involvement in your niche through a Google search, you will be seen as passionless and unmotivated to succeed in your field. Now is the time to start personal branding and building an online identity.
Found negative items? Employers think: no way you’re working here.
Drunken, provocative, and inappropriate photos litter most social networks like career wrecking landmines. Items such as angry comments left on forums and inappropriate language on social networks are also just as common. All of these things will obviously make employers worry about your ability to succeed in a professional setting.
Everything you post online is available for all to see, can be found in search engines, and is almost always permanent. If you find pages that don’t show you in the best possible light, it is far past time to begin creating positive content via blog comments, creating a personal website, and fully utilizing and cleaning up you’re social networks. All of these things will help push down and bury any negative content. It is important to start proactively managing and monitoring your web presence because one third of employers who search potential employees online find content that leads to dismissal of the candidate. The top three negative things employers find online that will wreak havoc on your personal brand are:
- Photos of drinking or drug use.
- Provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.
- Poor communication skills
While these are some classic social media mishaps, some job seekers are gaining the edge over their competition by creating an online image that highlights their passions and actually compliments their career aspirations.
Found positive items? Employers think: I can picture you on my team.
Every time you post something online, it becomes permanently associated with you. Which is why doing simple things – like writing compelling book reviews of best-sellers in your field – add up quickly, leaving a breadcrumb trail that demonstrates intelligence, proactivity and passion. Blog comments, forum posts, book reviews, wiki edits, submission of original media or articles and membership with professional organizations online all add up to an impressive personal brand that inspires confidence in your ability to succeed on the job.
Some of the top factors employers are finding online via social networks that positively influence their hiring decisions include:
- Great communication skills- Be sure to check your networks for grammer, and never make a blog comment without doing your research first.
- Candidate was a good fit for the companies culture- whether it be the kind of language you use, the hobbies you have, or some quote that just really caught an employers eye, creating a comprehensive picture of who you are as an individual can give you the edge and put a personality behind your bland paper resume.
- Candidates background supported qualifications for the job
The Work World Is Changing – Are You Prepared?
It’s harder than ever to get a job, and harder than ever to keep a job.
That’s why understanding your unique value and creating compelling personal brand online is vital to standing out and succeeding. The new world of work is characterized by shorter job durations, more project-based work, outsourcing, a global talent pool, and an increasing number of job applicants with college degrees.
These factors point to an opportunity to elevate yourself above the competition by building your personal brand and establishing a remarkable online presence that wows employers when they pre-screen you in Google.
For some great tips on developing an online presence that will rock the socks off of employers and acquaintances alike, check out some of our other posts on Personal Branding.
Personal Branding Online: The Short and Sweet Version
Using Social Media to Create Your Personal Brand
Top 7 Must-Read Personal Branding Books
