You professional online presence is important! Make sure to follow these easy steps to polish yours.
1. Create a professional website
There are tons of easy-to-use and free platforms for making a professional website. Weebly, Wix and WordPress are just a few examples of sites that are user-friendly and have many different types of web designs you can choose from. A professional website doesn’t have to take hours and hours of work. The most important elements to include are a short professional introduction, an updated resume, a professional photo, examples of your work (if applicable) and your contact information. It’s probably not a bad idea to add a link to your LinkedIn profile while you’re at it.
2. Streamline
It’s a good idea to choose one professional photo, name and email address to stick to as you work on your online professional presence. In the crazy mess of interwebs, this will make you more searchable and recognizable to potential employers. Make sure to choose a photo where you’re dressed up as if going to work. It’s also a good idea to pick an email address that includes your last name and isn’t based off any nicknames.
3. Upload your resume
Uploading your CV or resume to an online digital documents library like Scribd will allow you to easily publish your resume onto websites. You’ll also have easy, unlimited and quick access to your resume as long as you have an Internet connection.
4. Make an About.me
About.me is kind of like an online business card. It’s a simple website where you can fill in a short introduction or biography about yourself and add links to your social media accounts. The best part is that the website has great searchability, so your information will rise in the Google search rankings.
5. Make a LinkedIn profile (or update what you already have)
If you don’t have one already, get yourself on LinkedIn. Plenty of recruiters use it as a resource for finding new talent for their companies. You would be remiss not to take advantage. It’s also a good way to stay in touch with colleagues. Just don’t forget to update your profile every time you make a professional change, whether it’s a new job, promotion, etc.
6. Google yourself
Do a thorough Google search on your name and see what comes up. If there’s anything unflattering showing up in the first two or three pages, it might be worth trying to change. Sometimes just a few more social media accounts like a Google plus will knock an unflattering link down the search ranking. Now if the site with the unflattering or embarrassing information is a personal blog from middle school, it’s time to shut it down, or at least delete posts that include your last name.
7. Make your personal social media profiles private
Change the privacy settings so that the very minimal information on your Facebook page is available to the public. Make sure to choose a conservative photo for your profile and it’s a good idea to avoid liking or joining controversial groups or using swear words or language that could be interpreted as hateful.
Photo 1. based on Internet! 243/365, by Dennis Skley, CC-by-2.0
Photo 2. based on free internet, by hobvias sudoneighm, CC-by-2.0
Photo 3. based on GDC Online 2011_Monday_Smartphone and Tablet Games Summit, by Official GDC, CC-by-2.0