It's been a year since I have started working on my online personal brand, including my blog. I've talked about my New Year's resolutions. I've talked about my job hunting. I've talked about my favorite Grammy moments. Currently, I am a volunteer worker, yet my mission is not complete. Where do I go from here?
My latest rejections were the last straw. Enough is enough. I did not know how I would overcome the disappointment until I talked with professional bloggers at my last #blogchat session last night. Yesterday, I proposed to Mack Collier on Twitter, the moderator of #blogchat, that we discuss how people should leverage their blogs to land jobs and new clients. He went with the idea. What have I learn about my LinkedIn profile from others? Two words: outdated and unremarkable. I am innovative and remarkable with a strong passion for new media. The employers that check out my LinkedIn profile periodically do not know that because I have not clearly showed them that I am.
My blog is not a blog anymore. It is a business and it needs to be treated like a business. Work still needs to be done. I have seen little results. Time to act now. I will revamp my online presence by:
- Changing my LinkedIn summary to make it more professional and tell potential employers what I can do for them, instead of listing my skills like a resume.
- Changing my LinkedIn photo to a picture of me in a business suit. My current picture shows me in my cap and gown. I am no longer a recent college graduate. I have passed that title to the new graduating Class of 2010.
- Leaving out profanity and sexual language out of my blog. (Although I rarely used it.)
- Including a brief description in my "About Me" section of blog that I am looking for work.
- Checking out my local library for more marketing tutorials. Great resource that I have outlooked since my return.
What are you doing to improve or update your online presence? What do you think about personal branding in general?
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9 comments:
Great blog post! Good luck with everything!
Good luck, girlie. :)
@Ashley and Andhari- Thanks for the love. How do you guys manage your online presence? Any tips?
Love this post, Christina! I'm so mad I missed last night's #blogchat! It's great that you got so much out of it though. I'll have to catch up on the latest transcript! I think you'll definitely see some positive outcomes from these changes to your personal branding strategies. I think people our age tend to overlook our Linkedin profiles since our generation doesn't have a huge presence on it yet.
I recently revamped my Linkedin profile using tips from these blog posts:
How to Improve Your Linked ROI By Tweaking Your Profile
The Magic of LinkedIn: Making your PROFILE work for you
Lewis Howes's blog is also a great resource. Hope this helps!
Right now I'm not concerned about online personal branding but you've pretty much outlined the "tasks' one needs to undertake to be noticed. You're a very creative woman and I have faith in you! You'll bag the job of your dream one of these days! Go-getter woman! I wish you luck. ;p
@Georgia- It was really good. I was the one who came with the topic :). I have been frustated with my online job search for so long, I wanted to know why I was getting the recognition I wanted. Thank you for the two Linkedin blog posts. I will look into them on my spare time 2night. Thanks! :)
@ Johana- Did you know that your blog is part of your online brand? Your Facebook page. your Facebook account. Where have u been? :P
Thank you for the love. Im a go-getting kind of gal. :)
Christina, I watched your conversations on #blogchat last night, and could see that you are really seeking to learn all you can. Other people doing online job searches will be able to learn from you as you post the progression of your overhaul.
My husband, @VictorCanada, recently taught a Social Media seminar at LSU, and asked about the students' use of the top 3 social sites. Barely 30% were using Twitter and zero were on LinkedIn. (!) They should all watch your blog to see the value & result of using it for a job search.
@ArtseyC- I hope these recent college graduates woke up. FB is not the only social networking site. You are right. I read somewhere that less and less young people are using Linkedin and Twitter. If you want to establish a professional career in this age, you have to make a Linkedin and Twitter account. It should be the norm.
I am glad you saw what I wrote last night. I always asked questions, even if they are the most stupid ones. Even to be inquisitive than silent. Secondly, I hope some college students read my blog and others. Can help them in the long run. :)
P.S- I am now following you on Twitter. :)
This solved my big problem
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