How to manage your digital presence

We accept your personal life is yours, but the reality is that if it’s online then it’s considered public. Make sure you’ve selected the appropriate privacy settings and avoid posting information that could tarnish your personal brand. It is common practice now for organisations to complete background checks (either themselves or through a third party) which include social media.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn continues to be a significant resource for recruiters and employers to find well-qualified and experienced candidates. According to Time.com, 93% of employers will look at a candidate’s social media profile before making a hiring decision so you need to ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date.

Your LinkedIn profile is your professional window to the world – an expression of your personal brand and an essential part of your career marketing. By adding videos, presentations and images to a well-written profile you can stand out from your competitors.

As well as offering a professional networking/connecting tool and useful job board, LinkedIn will email you jobs you may be interested in, and through the ‘InMail’ feature recruiters can easily contact you about roles.

Think about including:

  • a custom headline – designed to capture the reader’s attention and make them want to know more
     
  •  a summary of your skills and professional life (key words that the search engine will find)
     
  • qualifications/education
     
  • work history – the role and organisation, along with dates
     
  • your current role
     
  • testimonials/recommendations – these act like a reference and are evidence of your success. Stick to three or four strong ones.


Top Tips

  • use plenty of key words – your skills list from your cv may be useful here
     
  • write your profile in the first person
     
  • include a summary of your field, industry focus, key expertise in your headline
     
  • let your summary tell your story – put your career choices into context, highlight your greatest achievements, show your personality – put your best self out there
     
  • inject some personality – be enthusiastic and authentic
     
  • if using a photo, keep it professional looking, with good light and a plain background, a head and shoulders shot
     
  • have a read of other people’s profiles to get some ideas for format and wording
     
  • keep building your connections – this is your professional network.