Accessing and building websites is being simplified daily; their uses multiplying exponentially. With it, a growing number of user-friendly social sites and web sites dedicated exclusively to job search. Maintaining your digital footprint has never been easier yet continues to be increasingly difficult to maintain.
One staple that is sure to find its way to the chopping block is the business card. Is it only a matter of time before this paper copy goes digital permanently? Think about it. Have you ever tried to express what makes you or your brand unique on a business card? It's not easy. Even if you aren't a designer, the VistaPrints of the world provide pre-made templates to bring your personal brand to life. True, the space is limited, so maybe you lead your audience to your LinkedIn profile or website where they can better assess your professional skills.
I hope you see where this is going. The journey doesn't start and end at the business card anymore. Recruiters and employers want to learn as much about potential applicants as possible. By leaving a digital breadcrumb trail, you are planting the seed in the mind of the recruiter or hiring manager of what it would be like to work with you.
Tips to Enhance your digital brand
It should be no secret that one of the first places hiring managers and recruiters look for candidates is on LinkedIn. Regardless of the position, in most industries, this digital resume is the key to getting your virtual foot in the door. Do yourself a favor, and take a few moments and check that your LinkedIn profile is fully optimized.
Another social media site where job seekers often miss out on is Facebook. According to a CareerBuilder survey, 37 percent of employers use Facebook to pre-screen candidates. My guess is that if they are using it for screening purposes, then it's also being leveraged for search.
The last place to create a rich digital presence without the need for a web developer is About.me. This free website allows you to maintain and customize a digital professional portfolio. Their homepage says it all stating, 'having an About.Me page will make it easier for people to find and learn about you,' and that's really the name of the game in recruitment, isn't it?
Here are some additional features and benefits that About.Me has to offer:
- Upload a picture & short bio of yourself
- Connect your LinkedIn professional profile and link to your other personal social media
- Create indexed pages linking back to your name
- Measure your activity; including the number of views, compliments and shares
- Set yourself apart professionally
The constancy of change, while sometimes hard to foresee, is one to count on. When recruiters look for potential candidates, maximizing your digital personal brand makes it easier to from them to connect and foster a relationship with you. By understanding your interests, motivations, and personality, the recruiter can better match job opportunities specially for you. Even if only to see the candidate’s background and profile picture, having a digital brand gives one a sense of where they come from, and more importantly, where they want to go.
This post was written by Mike McCullough. Mike is a graduate of Penn State University with experience as a recruiter. Mike has lived in Philadelphia and enjoys playing banjo, guitar, and fiddle in his spare time while planning his next trip to Ireland.