The paper CV and the business card is not enough in the digital age. Up to 93% of hiring managers review a candidate’s social profile before making a decision on whether to offer a role, and this number is only likely to increase. Marketing yourself in a positive and professional manner will appeal to those utilising recruitment websites such as thesmartlist.co.uk/ – here are five ways to do so.
Social Media
Employers to be, or potential network subjects, might look at your Twitter and Facebook accounts to gauge you as a person. A consistent tone of voice will sell you as a brand, and provide a window into your personality – are you friendly, authoritative, serious, or a blend of all three? Revealing your Bacchanalian lifestyle might be frowned upon, but a social media account with no personality could also be disappointing.
Your likes and retweets show your interests and perhaps who you respect and admire, and what you find interesting. Do you post pictures of cats and links to Buzzfeed pieces, or do you reference Forbes or Business Insider?
LinkedIn is an excellent way of gaining networking opportunities and finding interesting job opportunities.
According to the American Marketing Association, you should update your status at least once a week, and 80% of your updates should reinforce your personal brand. The profile should be complete, with particular emphasis on skills and specialities with links to examples if possible.
Also, if you’ve written an influencing and knowledgeable piece on an aspect of your job sector, shares and likes from experts in your field will add gravitas.
Building a website
Supremely confident job candidates might not even send a CV for a job, and instead send a link to a website that’s been created for them specifically for marketing purposes. It’s cheap and fairly simple to construct, or you might pay someone to do it for you – although this can be frustrating.
The advantage, as with LinkedIn, is that you can provide specimens of your best work. However, your website will reveal a lot more about you – from the colour of the display and the font, to your tone of writing and commitment to making the site easily navigable. If possible include a CV/resume, examples of work and additional skills (photography, music, languages etc), as well as contact details.
Video
An introduction video can be put together with minimal fuss and cost, using a mobile phone or DSLR and a simple editing package. Viewers interested in you as a professional will largely overlook a lack of professionalism if you present yourself as an appealing and strong person.
Aim for two minutes at the maximum. Put the effort in – get a friend to help you if necessary– so that the camera does not shake and the lighting is strong. Shooting in different locations such as office and outside can be visually interesting. If you’ve done video work before, blend in scenes from previous work to show your versatility.
Ebooks
As an addition to articles and examples of work, a downloadable pdf-style ebook showing experience and writing style, on a particular interest or knowledge, can be a very impressive proposition for networkers and employers. Make the design attractive and accessible, and share it on your social media to show that you are proud of your expertise.
