How to Create a Professional Online Presence
Creating and maintaining a professional online profile allows you to connect with potential employers, highlight your skills and experiences, and build a professional brand that makes you stand out.
If you are presently looking for a job, there are exciting advantages to having a professional online presence. Setting an initial stage for yourself can be a powerful tool and enables you to make yourself visible to a broader audience. Your digital identity may put you ahead of the competition and also help you network and stay up to date on the latest industry trends.
In the last few years we have seen how social media and social networking changed how employees communicate, recruit, and communicate with potential employers. Long gone are the days of written applications and face-to-face interviews. Initial headhunting and screening now takes place before anyone even meets you. Your first impression is what recruiters find out about you online.
Our corporate, household and yachting teams at 19 London often use social platforms to headhunt potential candidates. Overall we have noted that the more efficient and honest the content, the better. In addition, for some types of candidate, a discreet blog or personal website related to your career achievements and interests is a great space to highlight your expertise and an ideal way to feature your credentials.Making yourself more attractive to potential headhunters and employers can easily be accomplished across multiple platforms.
Choose a platform that will benefit you and is appropriate to your industry.
Social platforms can contribute to your digital image. LinkedIn, for example, is a professional social networking site where you can tell employers about your employment history and education in a concise and straightforward format. You can join groups, showing that you are interested in your field and demonstrating to potential employers that you are passionate about your industry. With more than 58 million companies listed on the site, LinkedIn is now considered one of the top networking sites for professionals of all industries.
If using sites such as Reed, Indeed, etc – keywords are fundamental here, as recruiters don’t always have the time to read every CV. Make sure you emphasise your experience and skills so such keywords can be picked up and that you are writing in a clear-cut manner.
In yachting there are various forums to advertise your skills. Social media is much more popular for yacht candidates to reach other crew members looking for hire, and there are specific professional advertising platforms too where hundreds of Captains and recruitment agencies advertise and search for potential candidates. Be honest with your experience and list your references and certifications well.
Instagram might be more suitable for private chefs who want to showcase their experience and food portfolios. Allowing a client to see what culinary skills you possess through photos and blogs gives you a headstart over someone who only has a written CV.
Be mindful of what you share.
Develop content that is meaningful, sincere, and professional. The information you share and what you have to say online contribute to your professional persona. A professional online presence should not include very personal information unless such information will benefit your career and add to your skills.
It takes a little effort to keep everything up to date.
Maintaining your online identity does take some time and effort. A digital identity that is years out of date or incomplete can waste time for potential employers. Creating and maintaining a profile takes a little effort, so only invest in platforms that apply to your industry. Keep your profile picture current and your details relevant and up to date regularly.
Marketing yourself online by efficiently communicating to hiring managers why you would bring value to their organisation is excellent – unless someone cannot get hold of you. Make sure you list specific information such as contact details on your professional CV. In addition, you should check your inbox regularly.
Let the details speak out and be consistent.
Use the space to your advantage and list all your previous experience, achievements, and education. Don’t forget to mention your level of knowledge, language, and computer skills.
Consistency across sites is always better. You can create a solid personal and professional brand using the same themes and photos.
Use a high-quality professional picture.
Your profile picture showcases who you are. Make sure your face is the primary focus, as long-distance shots don’t stand out. When you pick a picture representing you, display it consistently across all platforms so employers can easily recognise and remember you.
Clean up your social media accounts.
Keep your personal life private. Employers and hiring managers will gain solid impressions from social media accounts. If your professional profile is fantastic and your social profile showcases something different, it may discredit you. Staying appropriate and positive in each outlet is crucial.
Check and re-check your grammar.
Privacy settings.
Check your privacy settings to be sure you know exactly what pieces of information you are sharing with the public. Decide whether fragments of personal data should be private or public (address, phone number, email) and adjust accordingly. Settings often automatically change when sites are updated, so you’ll want to double-check your controls often.
Once you have established an excellent online presence, you can further develop your online image by adding or following professionals in your area of interest, sharing compelling and relatable articles and posting engaging content related to important fields. Follow employers you wish to work for. This means you can get an idea of their corporate culture and marketing techniques by exploring company posts and information. Joining industry, alumni, and private interest groups and actively participating in discussions is a great way to begin networking with like-minded people. Add connections to people you know, and search for people who have a job similar to what you want to do so you can begin to connect.
Overall your goal for your online presence should be to make it easier for potential headhunters and employers to search and assess you as a stand-out potential candidate.
