Google yourself.
Open your browser and enter your name in quotes (like this: “John LaMotta”).
Scroll the first page. What pops up? Click the Images tab. The News tab. Are you impressed with what you see? If not, you’re likely part of the 48% of U.S. adults who don’t like their #Google results.
What you just saw is what most anybody who might want to recruit you, hire you, or manage you will see. It makes up part of your “online reputation.” And it just may be the deciding factor in whether you’re hired.
In fact, this online reputation influences the hiring decisions of eighty-five percent of today’s U.S. recruiters and HR professionals. And while there might be some personal links and images from back-in-the-day that you’re not so happy Google preserved for you, the good news is that there is much you can do to quickly start creating a ‘brand’ new professional you.
Here’s three simple steps to socially elevate your social networking profile:
#1 – Professionalize Your Profile Picture
Seeing is believing. And we all know, first impressions matter. Interesting fact: Profiles that promote a photo receive up to 21 times more views and up to 36 times more messages.
A picture might be worth a thousand words, and if it is, you don’t want those words to be boring, unfriendly, blurry, inappropriate, or outdated.
Professional #BrandYou photo tips:
Find LinkedIn profiles whose head shot photos / poses you like – and then model those
Use a light background
Look directly at the camera (or least make sure people can see your face)
Take a photo from the waist up (ideally from mid shoulders up)
Invest in a high-res head shot (which means, avoid passport or driver license photos!)
Ask a camera-savvy friend or professional photographer to take a series of photos with different poses, outfits and angles… then select the one that most authentically showcases you
Update your photo at least every couple of years
#2 – Heroize Your LinkedIn Headline
The first thing people see when they search for you on #LinkedIn is your name, picture and headline. The headline shouldn’t be your most recent job title. Does ‘Marketing VP’ or “Operations Analyst” sound exciting to you? Chances are, it’s not exciting for others either.
Be unique. Stand out. Get #recruiters to notice the NEW #BrandYou – and to see you as different than the thousands of #Marketing VP profiles on LinkedIn. Your professional pedigree is not merely your most current job title; you’re not just a Marketing VP. You’re more. Use that headline to holistically encapsulate the essence of your expertise. Your value-add.
So, bedazzle that space a bit more. Yes, you’re a Marketing VP, but maybe you’re also a #Retail Expert. Maybe you also speak at conferences all over the world and can call yourself an International Keynote Speaker.
If a recruiter in the retail industry was looking for a job candidate to head up marketing for a high-profile global brand, what profile do you think he/she would click?
Profile Headline 1:
Marketing VP
Profile Headline 2:
Marketing VP | Retail Expert | Int’l Keynote Speaker
You tell me.
#3 – Brand Your Bio
Think of your bio as the story of your professional background. And the best part of that: You can rewrite it anytime—and use it in many ways and in many places. Consider a one-page bio that summarizes your career in a meaningful way. It not only showcases your job trajectory, but it also communicates the tangible value of what you’ve done and how it affected the bottom line. Your bio should not be a composition of strung-together job descriptions; rather, it’s a story of your notable achievements, milestones and impact.
This bio complements your resume and communicates the ‘elevator pitch’ of your professional prowess. Add some personality in terms of voice and narrative. It’s okay to write it in first person (“I’m a marketing maven who has worked with the world’s most trusted brands”).
You can then pull from it to compose your LinkedIn Summary and/or add to a company website. It’ll also help you verbally articulate the answer when the recruiter or #HR manager asks the proverbial question: “So, tell me about yourself.”
Want a NEW #BrandYou but need help? Yes, Please!
At Talent Harvest, we believe that when it comes to personal and executive branding, people will reap what they sow. This means, when you invest in professionally building out your #social profile, you can exponentially experience the rewards from that—whether it’s being recruited for a higher-paying or more fulfilling job, or finding the right role at the right company, or landing the job interview.
Need professional #branding and writing services?
Our experts have branded everybody from entrepreneurs, to executives, to influencers at all types of companies in all types of industries.
Contact us today at 1-833-777-REAP to schedule a free consultation.
