Tips for maintaining your professional online presence
By Elaine Mead
In the past five years, we've seen the rise of the creative resume, digital CVs and the increasing need to have an online presence. You might even hear people refer to a person as a 'brand'. Statements like 'what's your digital brand?' and 'how are you propositioning yourself in the digital job market?' are not uncommon.
Whether you're currently looking for a new job or are happily employed, it's advisable to do a professional digital detox at some stage. Having a strong professional presence online can help with not only with securing a new role, but aid in securing promotions too.
Here are some tips to consider for maintaining your professional online presence:
Do a privacy checkup
It’s more than okay to have a personal life separate from your work life — just have a think about what you want potential employers to see before making something personal public.
Be consistent
Make sure your resume reflects your digital profile (especially on LinkedIn) – job titles, companies, dates and projects should all be consistent, online and offline. Honesty is one of the highest-rated qualities that employers look for so don't fall short by telling fibs at this stage.
Keep your goals in mind
Is your digital presence matching up with your real-life career goals? Make sure you’re engaged with the right content and websites for your industry and be sure to look for real-life opportunities such as networking events as well. Don’t just do anything and everything — make sure what you’re doing has the right impact and adds value to what you’re trying to achieve in the world of work. Employers will notice.
Elaine Mead is a Careers and Work-Integrated Learning Educator based in Tasmania.