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Your Professional Identity

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Introduction

Social networking sites are good ways of broadcasting your interests, skills, and need for work.

According to a 2017 survey, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring.  As well, 69 percent of employers are using online search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing to research candidates.  Employers primarily search for information that supports applicants’ qualifications for the job while some look for what other people are posting about the candidates
(see: CareerBuilder | Career & Job Advice | Discovery)

Build and manage your public online profiles so that potential employers find positive and professional information about you.

Building your Professional Identity

Consider developing an online resume or e-portfolio – Use your e-portfolio to showcase any impressive projects you’ve worked on, including web links.

Create a thoughtful, well-written blog about your career goals or interests. Comment on recent news in the field. Post comments on others’ blogs and use your full name to distinguish your professional ideas.

Tips

  • Use an email address that sounds professional– potential employers may hesitate to respond to a childish email title.
  • Remove or restrict access to any pictures, messages or videos you would not want your boss or coworkers to see from your online profile.
  • Update your profile (and privacy settings) on your existing social networking sites.
  • Use a dedicated email address so people can contact you, but do not post your phone number, mailing address or any other private information.
LinkedIn is the professional equivalent of Facebook. You can use it to connect to the millions of professionals on LinkedIn who use the site to recruit employees, find jobs, participate in online communities, and share expertise. Employers are increasingly using LinkedIn as a recruiting tool, so building your LinkedIn presence is a worthwhile investment.
X is great for broadcasting short calls of help with your job search, giving professional updates, and more. X also gives you a way to connect with people you couldn’t access through Facebook or LinkedIn.
Facebook is a social—not professional—networking site. However, if used correctly Facebook can be a useful part of your job search. You can use Facebook to: join relevant professional groups, adding details of your professional interests to your page; stay in touch with contacts contacts through alumni and other networking groups; follow companies of interest by becoming a fan of their corporate pages; and more

Other Options

Consider developing an online resume or e-portfolio – Use your e-portfolio to showcase any impressive projects you’ve worked on, including web links.

For more information, see:

Create a thoughtful, well-written blog about your career goals or interests. Comment on recent news in the field. Post comments on others’ blogs and use your full name to distinguish your professional ideas.

Tips

  • Use an email address that sounds professional– potential employers may hesitate to respond to a childish email title.
  • Remove or restrict access to any pictures, messages or videos you would not want your boss or coworkers to see from your online profile.
  • Update your profile (and privacy settings) on your existing social networking sites.
  • Use a dedicated email address so people can contact you, but do not post your phone number, mailing address or any other private information.