Can you imagine sitting in the office lobby, waiting to be called in for the interview but instead, it gets canceled- and the reason for that being your internet presence? Don’t believe it? You should. Because online presence can have a huge impact on your placement. You might think that companies only look at your personality during the interview and take a glance at your resume to know everything about you but employers actually do a more focused search on you than you can imagine. Hence, it is important that you take into consideration all that you place in your online presence.
Firstly, if you don’t already have an online platform, you have to start working on it right away. And no, your Facebook account which was last updated in 2007 does not count. To showcase yourself as the perfect candidate for any job under any employer, you need to have a more mature and sophisticated online persona. If you do not have a presence online, your employer would think that you might have something to hide which would, inevitably, adversely affect your placement prospects. In today’s world of social media, online connections, and the internet world of posting your life online, your online persona says more about you than your interview or personality test may reveal.
How to make the best of the online platform
To have an impactful presence on the internet, one has to surpass the mundane usage of the internet and delve into the more professional one. It looks good when you are informed and have strong opinions. You have to portray your skills as an intellectual and a person with principles and opinions.
- You can start by creating a LinkedIn Profile. It would not just help you in finding jobs but is very crucial for the employer to know about your presence on that platform which is the form of social media for professionals. You must also keep your LinkedIn updated. Stay in touch with various professionals in multiple fields and you would appear as a man of many interests.
- If you have a flair of writing or sharing your views, a great way to establish your online presence is by creating a blog. Not only does it mean that you are updated and opinionated but it can nicely shape up and reveal your personality to the employer. Your blog can be about anything. Make sure to format and update your blog and not seem immature online.
- Social media is a great platform to showcase how fulfilling and impactful your personal life is. To ensure that your social media profiles impress the employer, you have to make sure that you do not post anything that embarrasses you if brought up during your placement interview. Avoid using childish bynames and do not blindly follow every social media trend.
- Share opinions on various current events on Twitter. It is a great way to show your prowess in making informed decisions and shows how well-informed you are.
What NOT to do- don’t decrease your employment chances
Your online presence is a great way to casually flaunt your skills and interests. However, if you commit a blunder, it can deeply impact your chances of employment.
- Refrain from posting provocative and/or inappropriate pictures of yourself. The employer would not desire to employ someone who has lax principles and morals.
- Do not post, share, retweet, or comment on a discriminatory and biased view of a certain community. This would not bring a good light to your personality.
- Try not to post either too frequently or rarely. Maintain a balance on social media
- You should not lie about your qualifications as it can negatively impact your image in the eyes of the employer.
- It will not be lucrative if your blog has offensive or irrelevant content. Try to seem professional and not uncommitted to your work.
The way you behave online would easily affect your career. Therefore, try to make the best of the internet opportunity provided in this era and use it to enhance your image in the professional world. To appear cultured and cognitively-adept.
So if you are not present online, what are you waiting for? A world of opportunities awaits you! Get online and create the best image of yourself.
