What happened when you Google’d yourself on Monday?
My professor once asked: if you don’t have an online presence do you really exist? Think about it…more and more companies are moving from our phone books to our browser's favourites list. I tried searching for a pizza company’s phone number the other day – it didn’t come up on Google so I opted for somewhere else. It’s not laziness…it’s convenience. So, when an employer looks at your resume and tries to find you online you want something to pop up, and that something better be professional or they’ll move on too.
Since you’ve already made your Linked In account and joined the GradLINK Network last week, I can go ahead and tell you how to make it snazzy and pro.
Give yourself a title. When the big boss searches your name you want to be associated with your specialization like: Jane Doe – 3D Animator. The user automatically knows Jane’s field and her position without even going to her profile. Go ahead and include your current/past employment with accomplishment statements following it. Just because it's online does not excuse grammatical errors or short points.Complete every section of your profile and keep it relevant. For example, Jane may include film, video games, drawing, and fantasy novels. Now the viewer knows Jane is probably interested in working in a tv, film or game industry. It may look odd if she included 'shopping-sprees with the gals' though.
Get connected and expand your network. Join groups, ask for recommendations, and include a link to your website, twitter account or portfolio.
Finally, give your profile a friendly face and upload a professional photo of yourself.
Linked In won’t “hook you up” with a job but it will make it easier for you to find the networks that can. Subscribe to the Linked In channel on YouTube for tips on how you can benefit from this networking tool.
- How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other Social Networks
- Job Search for Graduating Students: GradLINK
Samantha
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