Q: Many people have been laid off where I work and sooner or later I suspect it will be my turn. I want to prepare for an eventual job search but I’ve been out of the job market for ten years. I’ve read that an “online profile” is a very important factor now and wanted some advice on how to get one. I have an old LinkedIn account I haven’t touched in years, and a current Facebook account I use daily. Where do I start and what do I need?
A: You’re smart to prepare for a job search before losing your current position, and you’ve heard correctly, having an online presence is key.
These days, the great majority of employers will conduct a search about you on Google before deciding whether to invite you for an interview. And if you think it’s good if they find absolutely nothing about you, think again.
You want a prospective employer to find something, at the very least a LinkedIn profile (not Facebook, more on that later). Your name showing up as a member of some professional organization or on a volunteer board is even better.
So, let’s start the foundation for an online presence by updating your LinkedIn account. Remember if you’re proactive, you control what’s out there.
CREATE A PROFILE
Post a good picture. Not necessarily a studio portrait, but you should look professional and friendly. Having no picture is a red flag and raises questions for employers. Don’t you know how to upload a jpg? Are you awkwardly shy? Why aren’t you complying with the norm? If you’re worried about “privacy” issues and don’t want a photo of yourself online, you need to get over that, at least while you’re job hunting.
Take advantage of the “headline”. It’s your tag line, so make it memorable. Right under your name you get a 120 character “headline” which everyone sees whenever your name pops up. For example, if want to announce you’re looking for a job it might read: Mary Smith, Public Relations Professional, Looking for New Challenges.
Visibility. When setting your profile privacy settings, you should enable “public profile” which means everyone on LinkedIn can see you, which –unlike your Facebook profile- is exactly what you want. Of course in your case that also includes your current employer so you may not want to announce your job search just yet.
Use keywords. Complete the Summary and Skills section using keywords. In addition to looking up applicants who’ve applied for a job, employers and recruiters now also use LinkedIn to find people who are employed but have specific wanted skills. So, make sure you show up on those searches by learning the current popular keywords in your industry and using them generously in your profile.
Attach your work samples. Unlike a resume where brevity is king, you have plenty of room to show your stuff on LinkedIn. Attach files for articles, PowerPoint presentations, or images. If you’re in a field like graphic design or photography where portfolios are important, this is a way to make them available.
NETWORKING ON LINKEDIN
Connect. Once you have a strong profile, start adding connections by inviting people from current and past jobs, old classmates, friends and clients. Just like Facebook, once you have a few connections LinkedIn will offer you additional suggestions.
Join groups. Share ideas, join a discussion, connect with new people. Sometimes, groups will post unique jobs not found elsewhere on LinkedIn.
Use search functions – Find people, jobs and companies. Organizations have their own “profile” and you can “follow” those where you’d like to work. You’ll get notified when new jobs open.
ABOUT FACEBOOK
Set the privacy settings on your account so that your profile is only visible to your “friends”. When a non-friend (an employer) searches your name, nothing but your (perfectly acceptable) profile picture and name should be visible. However to be extra safe, I recommend you remove any questionable comments, posts or pictures from your -and your friends’- Facebook pages.
DEFENSIVE GOOGLING
If you have a common name, it’s possible that when an interested employer conducts a Google search, they could get negative results about another person with your same or similar name. To prevent that, Goggle your name (in quotes) exactly like it appears on your resume, and make sure the results are clean.
Lastly, the job market landscape has changed a lot in the last 10 years. And just like our personal lives have been affected by technology -and it’s commonplace to text from your smartphone and share photos digitally instead of writing letters and sending print photos (remember those?)– the workplace too has changed; especially the recruiting and hiring process. A significant change is that employers now expect applicants to have basic tech savvy or “new media literacy”. This is a must-have in order to be considered a viable candidate in today’s job market. Having a well managed online presence and a solid LinkedIn profile sends a strong signal that you’re up-to-date and current.
©Copyright Eva Del Rio
