Making yourself visible in a networked world. This is the biggest challenge the unemployed 
of today are being told they will face in their job search. If you are not on Twitter, Facebook and Linked in, if you do not have a cyber footprint, if potential employers, headhunters and recruiters cannot Google you and “pre-screen” you… then you quite simply do not exist!!! CareerBuilder.com states that presently 45% of hiring managers use social media for background checks. This will beome the norm within the next few years.
As scary as this prediction may sound it is what social media and branding experts are telling us, indeed warning us to prepare for. The paper resume and cover letter will very soon become irrelevant as the job search process becomes totally web based.
Dan Schawbel Author of Me.2 recently conducted a webinar on 'Managing Your Personal Brand During Tough Times', hosted by Get Back to Work Faster who offer higly relevant and excellent webinars.According to Schawbel, “Social media has made personal branding accessible to everyone. You need to be where everyone is searching, and that’s online." However he warns that a brand is a long term relationship developed over time.
Try Googling your name. How many hits do you get? If you have no results then you need to move fast to get yourself noticed, indeed to prove you "exist". How? Get on Facebook (300 million users), Twitter (22 million members)and Linked In (45 million members), get yourself a website or blog and generate as much content as you can to get your name out there. These are all steps in the process of building your “brand”. Your name is your brand, and like any successful product has a logo, your photo is your branding statement. Keep it professional and make sure you use the same photo across all your branding tools including your business card.
Schawbel offers these Personal Branding promotional tips:
- Attend Networking events
- Connect with Media
- Use your email Signature everywhere
- Write Articles
- Comment on Blogs
- Speak Publicly
- Get Endorsements
- Join Social Groups
Comments
Great article Ajita, and beautiful picture.
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