Cultivating the Digital You
As college students who are making the transition into the professional world, one thing that becomes important to consider is your online presence. While most of us are familiar with already having a personal presence online through social media, it is important to now start thinking of how you are portraying yourself online in a professional manner. Nowadays, in order to stand out above others in the job market, employers are looking for more than what’s written down on paper. Building your professional online presence helps add to your personal brand, which gives employers something more to remember you by and shows off what makes you unique. Here are three things you can start doing today to start curating your professional online presence.
Start with the fundamentals
The easiest place to begin is to assess where you currently stand with your online presence. Although you may have already heard it a million times: Google yourself! It simply is the most accessible way to get a better picture of how you are being portrayed online. Go through your social media profiles and remove any posts or photos that don’t align with your current self, or that you wouldn’t be proud to show to your grandparents. If you’re still using your email from sixth grade with the address “soccergirl2002@gmail.com,” it’s time to change it up!
Put your work on display
Having your own personal website is a simple yet effective way to get your portfolio and information about yourself out to others. A benefit of having this information digitized is that all of your work becomes accessible to anyone, anywhere, through one link. You can add your website hyperlink to your email signature, link it on your various social media profiles, include it on your resume, and more. There are several free resources like Wix or WordPress that make it simple to construct your site. Make sure to pick a clean template and organize the information so it’s both easy to find and read. From there, you can also link your relevant social media profiles to your website, such as your Twitter and LinkedIn, so visitors can get an idea of your personal brand.
Make those connections!
If you are not already familiar, LinkedIn is a social media platform used to connect businesses with prospective job applicants, but also other professionals. When first creating an account, one of the most important initial steps is to upload a professional headshot as your profile picture. This is crucial as, according to LinkedIn themselves, “...profiles with headshots get 21 times more views than profiles without a photo.” If the cost of getting a photo professionally taken seems daunting, don’t worry, as there are also ways to DIY it. After you’ve gotten your headshot covered, it’s time to populate the rest of your profile with relevant information about yourself. Start with adding the basics, such as a banner photo, your education history, job and internship history, and any significant skills you hold. All of this information is beneficial to recruiters to get an idea about you and your experiences.
Before you begin to directly interact with others on the platform, be sure to learn the proper etiquette. The very first message you send to a future contact or employer sets a strong first impression and can often determine what kind of response (if any) that you receive back. Above all: be respectful of people and their time.
Remember that being professional does not have to make you boring. You can still present yourself as a professional while adding a personal touch and show your personality through your profiles and work. Displaying your interests and passions in an appropriate manner allows future employers to get a better understanding of who you are as a person, outside of the workplace. Stay true to who you are!
About Hanna
Hanna Ziesel is a junior this year studying Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Writing. Her passion for writing stems from a love for being able to use her words to make an impact on others, using her skills to craft stories and build lasting relationships. This is her first year on the GrandPR team where she will serve as the Firm Editor, as well as her first year being a member of PRSSA. After graduation, she hopes to use her skills in public relations to work in the music industry.