Easy ways to market yourself online

According to a survey by membership organisation Execunet, 77 percent of recruiters conduct internet searches on jobseekers, while up to 35 percent reject jobseekers based on what they discover.

Of course, with more people searching for their own name in search engines, image-awareness has never been higher.

But managing your professional online identity can sometimes feel more like luck than design. So how can you help keep your digital footprint in check?

Here are some simple tricks to get you started:
1. Buy your name as a domain name
Without a doubt, one of the easiest ways to manage your professional online identity is to buy your name as a domain name. If your name is on the popular side, or you don’t have a traditional website, consider joining an online reputation network like Naymz. Not only will it allow potential employers to find all your online content in one place, it will also help you monitor online content that other people publish about you.

2. Create an online professional page
Another simple way to market your skills online is to create your own MyCareer Head Hunter professional page. With a quick glance, employers can evaluate your skills, experience, work style, samples and more. For an extra touch of professional credibility, try linking to your professional page on your email signature and when you leave a blog comment.

3. Define your professional niche
One secret to marketing your skills online is to proactively differentiate yourself from your competition. This can be achieved by thinking about what sets you apart from your peers, colleagues and competitors. Defining your professional niche will not only give potential employers a clearer understanding of who you are but, with a bit of vocational soul-searching, give you a confidence boost as well.

4. Promote yourself as an expert
Remember, establishing yourself as a niche guru won’t happen without exposure, so it pays to set up an easy-to-use blog where you can quickly post your thoughts and network with like-minded people. Communicating what you stand for and the professional benefits you offer can all be done at the push of a button using a free publishing tool like Blogger, enhancing your search engine rank and increasing your professional value.

5. Build an online business network
When it comes to managing your professional identity, there's no limit to what you can do on social networking sites such as Facebook. For example, a presentation you recently gave at a conference could be showcased on your profile alongside your resume as a series of still images, a slideshow, or a video. If you then created an online group for people who liked it, you could extend your personal network by interacting with them, and promote your talents even further by driving them to your professional blog.

6. Monitor your online reputation  
Keeping tabs on your professional online identity makes managing it successfully more likely. To this end, consider subscribing to email updates such as Google Alerts to receive the latest search engine results based on your name. If you find yourself the victim of misinformation, then you may want to forgo a passive approach and either set the record straight, or bury the bad news instead. Or, if it's a negative response to personal or inappropriate content on your social networking profile, a strategic rethink might be wise.

Published: 02 June 2008