5 Steps To Cultivating A Professional Online Presence

It’s becoming more and more important to take care of your online reputation. When you’re job hunting, you put effort into creating an amazing CV and cover letter – so why are you neglecting your online presence?

The time has come to take control of your public image once and for all! Keep the personal stuff separate to the professional and stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons! Here are some top tips to help you achieve all that.

Join LinkedIn

If you haven’t already joined LinkedIn, now is the time to get on it. After all, it’s a professional networking site, so you should be utilising it throughout your job search.

Highlight all your academic achievement and work experiences on your page; it’s a helpful resource for potential employers. It’s also a place where you can build a circle of industry contacts ripe for networking!

Employer-proof your Facebook

Facebook is best kept between friends and family. It’s a personal social network site as opposed to a professional one.

Make sure you review your privacy settings and update them so only your Facebook friends can see what you’ve posted. That way, even if an employer does come across your Facebook page, all they can see is the thumbnail profile picture of you and your name.

You are what you tweet

Twitter seems to be the platform where people love to go on a good rant about something or other. If you’ve got Twitter, it’s best to have a personal account which is set to private as well as a professional one. For people who want to work in creative industries such as journalism or marketing, this is the best way to go about it.

Your professional Twitter page can be all about things related to your industry of work; a place where you can connect with like-minded individuals and have discussions about topics you feel passionate about.

Create your own website

Having your own website looks extremely professional and is a useful place to upload your CV and portfolio. When you’re applying for jobs you should include the link in your cover letter; employers can view everything in one creative space.

If you’re looking to go into the graphic design or writing sectors, having a website is something you should definitely consider. You can show off your work in the form of designs/blog posts.

Google yourself

It may sound strange but Google your name to see what comes up in the search results. Does something pop up that you’d rather didn’t? Get rid of it, if possible. That photo of yourself on a night out dressed as a unicorn may make for great memories, but job prospects? No thanks.

Remember, your online presence is powerful; if you use it correctly, it can help prove your credibility and passion to a potential employer. So make sure it’s reflecting the best version of yourself!

Haleema Khokhar, also known as Kimi (a college nickname that stuck), is a journalism graduate working in the world of marketing and freelance writing. She loves animals, dance and a strong cup of tea. Check out her website and Twitter at @MyImpression_ you can also check out her personal Twitter at @KimiKhokhar 

Inspiring Interns is a graduate recruitment agency which specialises in sourcing candidates for marketing internship roles and giving out graduate careers advice. To browse graduate jobs and graduate jobs Manchester, visit their website.