How To Market Yourself – Beyond Your Resume

Make Your Personal Brand Work For You

Company branding has changed dramatically in recent years. With the advent of social media, successful companies now have a very human aspect to them. Social media gives customers, clients, and potential employees a good look into the company culture and values.

The same concept applies to you. Your personal brand dramatically impacts your career success. In this article, we’ll explain how you can leverage your brand in order to land your dream job.

Your brand, and why it matters

It’s not surprising to learn that 90% of recruiters research applicants on social media. What is surprising, however, is that 75% of HR professionals are required to search job applicants online. Additionally, 57% are less likely to interview a candidate they can't find online, and 54% have decided not to hire a candidate based on their social media profiles.

Those are sobering statistics, and that’s why it’s so important to have a professional social media presence.

How you can improve your brand across different social media platforms

LinkedIn

Did you know that 92% of polled companies post jobs to LinkedIn? And, 94% of recruiters vet candidates on this social media platform? With these staggering statistics, it’s easy to understand why you’ll need a fleshed-out LinkedIn profile.

• Fill out the basics: your education, work experience, and accomplishments.
• Add in any certifications you’ve earned. If you’re certified in AWS, you definitely want to put that out there.
• List out your skills.
• Add any volunteering experience or charities you’re involved with.
• Lastly, take a high-quality headshot. It doesn’t need to be taken by a professional photographer, but it should look professional:
  • Ask someone else to take your photo (no selfies!).
  • Dress professionally.
  • Take your photo with a neutral background.
  • Smile.

Now that you have a filled-out profile, follow industry leaders and companies. Connect with your alma mater, colleagues (current and past), and mentors. This networking builds your knowledge of what’s happening in the industries around you.

Twitter

54% of businesses use Twitter as a recruitment platform. This is especially relevant for hot fields like tech. When creating a profile, make sure you follow these best practices:

• Fill in the basics about you.
• Use a professional photo, since you’ll be using Twitter to promote your brand.
• Share articles relevant to your field.
• If you have a personal blog, share articles you’ve written.
• Since Twitter has such a great real-time flow, you can also retweet announcements from companies in your industry.
• Stay away from controversial opinions. Twitter is not the platform to talk about politics or religion, especially if you’re using it solely to further your brand and career.
• Hashtag properly – Twitter isn’t like Instagram! Twitter recommends using two hashtags per post.

Facebook

Your Facebook account is typically your most personal account. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of recruiters and companies accessing your personal information, lock down your privacy settings. A photo of you smoking or drinking is enough for an employer to disqualify you – so make sure your presence is professional, and remove or hide any content that could harm your image.

Conclusion

As a job seeker with strong social media profiles, you’ll attract more attention from recruiters, which could lead to interviews and job placements.

Even if you’re happily employed, it’s important to have strong social profiles. As a personal anecdote, I once got a job through social media – and I wasn’t even looking! A hiring manager found me on LinkedIn and told me about a job that was right up my alley. I interviewed for the job, and landed it. All because I had a strong social presence that listed my skills clearly.

Think of social media as another tool that you can leverage to showcase your brand, skills, and experience. You are in control of your career. Make your personal brand work for you!

About System One

System One delivers specialized workforce solutions and integrated services. We help clients get work done more efficiently and economically, without compromising quality. For more than 40 years, we’ve built our reputation on exceptional talent, flexible delivery, and full accountability. System One’s national network spans energy, engineering, IT, commercial, scientific & clinical, legal, marketing, and beyond. System One is based in Pittsburgh, PA.