social media

Have you ever googled your own name? What appears? That’s what potential employers will see if they search your name (and they will). If there’s something negative, now is the time to do some damage control. If there isn’t much at all, now is the time to build your online reputation and establish your personal brand.

Establishing and monitoring your online presence is more important than you think. We spoke to someone not long ago that she didn’t have a Facebook page (I know… last person in America not to) but she did meet someone who said he’d seen her there. It turns out that the person she had seen had the same name as her, but it wasn’t her. To make matters worse, that person had a Facebook presence that was, shall we say, less than professional. That person’s actions and presence were damaging her own reputation and she didn’t even know it. Our advice to her? Get a Facebook page, pronto. The more she can establish herself and be active online, the more she will fight any negative information that is already out there. That same strategy works if you also have something negative in your own past. Get active now on social media. You are in charge of what others see about you. Post positive and professional information. The most current will push down the past and restore your reputation.

When it comes to job hunting, there’s no question: LinkedIn and Facebook are the current kings in the social media empire, and you have no excuse not to maintain profiles on these two big dogs. But… I think when you’re on a job search, you should do as much as possible. Work hard, be aggressive, and find the job you want fast. There are all kinds of social media platforms you can take advantage of: Google+, Twitter, Xing, Viadeo, even Pinterest. Over 90% of hiring managers use social media in the hiring process, so you should too. The more you do online, the easier it will be to find you online. Here are some of the biggest ones to get you started:

Google+ it’s a great platform. He is professionally oriented and good for business. No one can afford to ignore it. It also has a high SEO factor, which is good when a hiring manager or recruiter googles it for you.

Twitter it has a quick response, but not a long response. Things happen fast on Twitter. You will only get whatever you take out that day. It’s great for contacts, but you have to keep up to date to make it work for you. Lots of employers and recruiters tweet that they have a job opening, but you have to be able to respond quickly.

interest It’s great for any field where you use photos to showcase your work: graphic designer, cake decorator, party planner, event planner, tailor… any career where you can visually showcase your stuff is suitable for this.

xing focuses on business networking and is based in Germany, although it operates in 16 languages. It’s not as big as LinkedIn (which can be an advantage). It has groups you can join like LinkedIn. It has a good reputation and tends to attract independent contractors and small businesses, which can be great places to work.

viadeo is another professional business social network that started in Europe and offers profiles in multiple languages. It is said to be more organized and easier to use than LinkedIn.

All of these platforms have ways for you to increase your visibility online, highlight who you are and what skills you have, and also show off your innovative and tech-savvy side… that’s a huge plus for employers.