Branding, smranding, just tell me what to do
Do you know how the world sees you?
DIGITAL JOB SEARCH AND PERSONAL BRANDING
Installment number three
Years ago, when computers were steam-driven and search engines like Google and Yahoo were not yet household words, I searched on my name. I had a website, an established business as a job search coach and what I assumed was a wide-spread Seattle-based reputation in the technology community. Imagine my surprise when my name search rendered no results.
Today, that same search results in pages of entries including my website, magazine articles, blogs and even long-forgotten comments on a variety of sites. Mixed in are various other ‘Rita Ashley’s’ but since they seem to be accomplished women, I am not embarrassed by their digital footprint. Folks looking for me know I am neither a Raytheon employee nor serve on a the Olanthe school board.
The real win when you set your alert is you can qualify which John Smith you want to find. Employers know to use alerts such as John Smith, teacher, Tucson to find exactly the person they want to vet. You can do the same.
Is it vanity to check my on-line presences? Not one bit. It is a smart business decision to monitor what the world sees. And if you are a $100,000+ professional, it is your business to monitor and maintain your brand and appear to the world as an expert in your domain.
But is a search engine enough? There are many entries hidden in blogs or articles where my name may be used by others. A small group of irate recruiters, for example, took umbrage at a blog I wrote warning candidates about traps set by recruiters. They say horrible things about me. Since I know, I can do some damage control.
How did I find out? I set search engine alerts for my name, my company and a few key words associated with job search coaching for executives and technology leaders. Most of the entries I receive are irrelevant but there are often a few tidbits that are very useful. In addition to monitoring my brand, I often find new blogs where my advice or comments will be seen by folks in need and sometimes, I meet like-minded contributors with whom I can establish a common bond.
Setting alerts is a simple first-step in creating your on-going personal branding monitoring program; an important component of building a healthy personal brand. To learn more about your digital presence, choose a few tools from this comprehensive list created by JobMob. No need to use them all, but pay special attention to those that look for blogs and social networking comments.
Time for some clean-up? Here’s a few tips for starters. Return to this blog frequently as the Digital Job Search Branding series continues.
Click here to learn why your brand is critical to your job search Installment One
Click here for installment two on Digital Job Search and Branding.
For discussion of how to discover how the world sees you: installment three.
Click here for installment four to discover your current identity.
Click here to start your branding efforts for your job search installment five
Click here for more resources
For a step-by-step guide to networking that understands networking can be hard.
Career advice, Job Search Tools, Networking, Six Figure Jobs, coaching
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brand, Career advice, executive employment, executive jobs, personal brand, personal branding
Themocracy
[...] Many experienced recruiters prefer to set alerts and search blogs for quality candidates. They use Boolean strings to isolate exactly the skills and [...]
[...] Many experienced recruiters prefer to set alerts and search blogs for quality candidates. They use Boolean strings to isolate exactly the skills and [...]
[...] Many experienced recruiters prefer to set alerts and search blogs for quality candidates. They use Boolean strings to isolate exactly the skills and [...]