Harnessing And Using Your Online Power

There are so many social media networking sites on the internet and new ones arriving every day that it is difficult to find them all. If you think that it is of the utmost importance to keep up with your social life, you should know that it is of equal importance to your professional life. Social media sites give anyone vying for a job in this tough employment market the opportunity to create a brand all their own.

What people find out about you online can create a first impression before an employer ever even meets you. It is important that your social media networks show your brand as a professional. Your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc., should all portray the same person.

Start fashioning your brand by making your own website. In today's world, it is easy for anyone to have their own piece of the Internet, regardless of their profession. Create a website that tells who you are. Address your skills, accomplishments, even career goals. If you are a photographer, create image galleries to give people an idea of your work. Post links to places you've been published.

Put the companies you have worked for on your website. If web design is what you do, post links to the ones you have created. No matter your profession, state your career objectives and goals. Your website can be a virtual representative of who you are. Put links to all the social media sites you participate in and make your site a hub for all the places you can be found online to help employers and recruiters become familiar with the professional you.

Your Facebook and other social media accounts must be created with your career in mind. Be sure they are something that you really want a prospective employer to view. Your photographs should be of you only, no dogs, friends or family.

You do not need to fill out the usual social sections like books read, music listened to or movies you like, etc. unless it is relevant to the job you are pursuing. When given the opportunity to tell about yourself, keep it to your line of work.

For Twitter accounts, it is easier for things to be less personal. For anything you write, you have a limited number of characters, keeping things a little shallower. Follow people that are pertinent to your skills, field, or professional interests. If you're a writer, follow other writers, publishers, and news outlets. If you are a chef, follow other chefs, food blogs, and restaurants. Make it known that you really care about what you do or want to do. When you tweet, discuss topics that would intrigue others in your field. Give the people whose accounts you follow a reason to follow yours.

Above all, be sure your professional sites are purposeful and coherent. You want people who follow your links and see you on Facebook, Twitter and your own website to clearly understand that they are seeing the same person. Keep your image intact. You don't want to confuse anybody as to who you are and what you do. People will lose interest if you portray yourself differently on different links and accounts. Know yourself and let others know you too. A simple Google search can find you everywhere on the net. Be sure that what it finds is exactly what you want it to.