Job Search 2.0: Build Your Online Reputation to Attract Jobs

Build a strong online presence with the tips below to earn a great reputation that will get you more business or job offers.

This is a guest post by Mohammed Al-Taee . If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

Today, you don’t need to pay $$$ to get more business or job offers. Your online reputation can speak on your behalf and get you your dream job.

Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell said in a CNN interview that “by about 2020, our entire life histories will be online and searchable.”

What ego do you want the next employer to hear when he searches on your name?

Download The Ultimate Twitter Job Search Guide

Remarkable Personal Brand

Jacob Share said “A personal brand is the impression you want to leave on people, the way you want to be remembered.  Everything you do and create to reinforce that impression is also part of your personal brand.  Protecting your personal brand means protecting your investment in yourself.”

Part of what Personal Branding can do for you:

• Increase your recognition in your niche.
• Make yourself interesting to potential employers.
• Distinguish yourself from competitors.
• Get more passion to learn, improve and maintain your skills.
• Convey your message clearly to the world.
• Attract the right people and opportunities.
• Understand yourself better.
• Help achieve personal and professional goals.
• People will start following you.

Ultimately, your voice, image and smile can clearly give you an edge over many other people.

1. Brand yourself, in order for people to remember you; you need to position yourself on your social networks. Be remarkable so you become the first in other people’s mind when they want to share resources, an invitation for an event, a business opportunity or even a coffee meeting. Your personal brand is a key to build your network.
2. Do something for your brand that is offline. It’s not all about building an online brand if you have nothing active offline, your personal brand is a reflection of both your offline character and online identity.
3. Always give before you receive. Offer value and don’t expect something in return; this is a great way to build a promise aka personal brand.

Strong Social Media Presence

Social media is for everyone and it’s free. If you build your personal brand and work to maintain it, then someone will speak on your behalf.

Whether it’s Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, WordPress Blog or YouTube, you need to act more than just creating content. Content is a key but marketing is the door to earn more connections, more readers, and position yourself.

1. Engagement is a must-have skill in today’s social media revolution. Social media tools are just medium tools. Human conversations, caring and interactions are the secret, period.
2. Maintain your brand effectively on the social media sites. Find at least 10 things worth retweeting in your home feed and share it with your followers. Be interesting and not just old news but remember anything you post on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook is a representation of who you are.
3. Monitor your online identity as well as you monitor your bank account.

Own A High Value Network

Tim Sanders said “Someday this will be true for all of us: our network will equal our net worth.”

Think of net worth as a new opportunity that could bring a new business, employment or the most valuable thing- a new connection to your network.

1. Grow your network by connecting with more non-spam people.  It’s true that the more connections you have, the less social interactions you make with your friends but it’s still worth it to have a big network. Think big when it come to social networking. I realized that the more people I connect with, the more people will connect to me.
2. Gratitude for your network. Write at least one LinkedIn recommendation to one of your colleagues even if he/she is overseas, Tweet 10 Follow Friday recommendations to the best Tweeple, and comment everyday on your favorite blogs. Do it and make it part of your brand attributes. Generosity is a great brand attribute.
3. Your network will be as strong as the way you manage it.

Other thoughts-

Don’t act or try to be someone else online. Maybe it’s difficult to show your inner person to the world, but you should practice doing that. With Twitter, your life is public in every interaction, conversation, traveling, etc. Since there is nothing to hide online, be professional and smart about what you share.

People will get the first impression about you by what your Google results say. Strong results provide credibility when searched by potential employers or clients.

Think of your activity online as writing in pen, not pencil i.e. they’re impossible to erase. You are using pens daily for your tweets, for Facebook fan pages comments, for online forum questions, for emails with clients and co-workers, posting family photos on Flickr, etc.

YOU are the one who is leaving a trail behind that everyone will see and judge you on.

Learn how to find use Twitter to find jobs quickly in the short-term and to attract jobs in the long-term.

• How To Make Every Recruiter Jump To Hire You
• Which Key Tools Need to Be in Your Twitter Job Search Toolbox?
• An Easy Checklist to Follow Every Day

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About the Author

Mohammed Al-Taee is an information technology professional, social media leader, and next-generation project manager with an excellent reputation with all prior employers.  You can reach him on LinkedIn, Youtube or follow him on Twitter @MAltaee.  Read more on his blog, MohammedAltaee.com

This article is part of the 4th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our Gold Sponsor, Jason Alba of JibberJobber. If you want Mohammed Al-Taee to win, share this article with your friends.

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