A personal online presence offers some huge advantages when looking for employment after graduating. Instead of going through page after page of recruitment sites, modern web tactics allow you to bring recruiters to you. With blogs, video channels and social media articles, it is possible to develop and demonstrate your unique value, and even craft a unique sales pitch. Not sure about self-marketing? Here’s a quick guide to help get you started on a new path.
Market Yourself Like a Pro
Marketing yourself in a way that potential employers can find you depends on SEO tactics, including working with a link building agency to improve authority within a given sector or niche while showing off your knowledge. Through content alone, it is possible to demonstrate that you understand a topic and have valuable insights that could be useful to a prospective employer. Of course, SEO best practices such as keyword research and readability are recommended.
Personal Online Presence with UVP
What is UVP? UVP stands for unique value proposition, and is effectively the personal attributes that set you apart from the crowd. You can use UVP to help employers understand why they should consider you for a position over the hundreds of other candidates they are considering.
Understand the market and competitors
An employer is more likely to engage with you if you can demonstrate that you understand the specific niche that the market serves and the problems they face, all while discussing solutions.
Differentiate yourself in the market
This is one of the hardest parts of establishing UVP. However, you can use a website, blog or video channel to demonstrate unique skills and knowledge against common competitors.
Test and refine UVP accordingly
Not all employers are the same, and they won’t respond the same way to a UVP profile. You can direct employers to A/B tested online profiles that deal with specific niche audiences.
Demonstrate Your Motivation
Employers love it when they feel you are a good fit in a personal way and not just your core hard or soft skills. In fact, you can always be trained for most things, and some recruiters will take a chance if you tell them why you do what you do, or wish to be part of a specific company, niche or industrial sector. This is where you tell your story, perhaps on your blog, video channel or social profile. This allows employers to see past skills and inside the passion that drives you.
Clearly Define Your Strengths
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. However, when talking about these, it can be easy to sell yourself short. So always stick to the strengths. Of course, there are things you aren’t good at, but an employer may only consider these if they are listed. Stay positive to project a positive experience for recruiters consuming your content. On your About or profile page, be sure to list anything that makes you a perfect employee, including soft skills such as team communication.
Understand Potential Employers
It doesn’t help to go to an interview blind, as you can be sure an employer has gathered some info on you! In fact, they may have more than you have told them. This is why online profiles must be crafted well. However, recruiters love it when you have also done some research. You can direct them to a specific page or profile built for them specifically, where you can demonstrate the skills for a particular job, and how you feel you would fit into the business.
Stick to Branding Best Practices
It is hard to land a job these days, especially when in a competitive niche. However, you can gain an advantage by sticking to some self-marketing best practices. For example, use high-quality images in post content and personal photographs. It also helps to craft content with strong headlines that are relevant to the post, page or profile. You can then apply your personal knowledge of a subject to ensure the content is refined and polished to a high standard.
Personal Online Presence with Insights
LinkedIn currently has over 1.2 billion users all over the world. As a key stopping point for recruiters, you can use LinkedIn and similar platforms for personal online presence. However, securing a dream job post-graduation requires more than a swanky social media profile.
Define a target audience
You can use LinkedIn to write articles related to your degree, career or interests. However, it also helps if you know who you are writing to and what motivates them when recruiting.
Develop your perspective
Employers love unique perspectives on topics and problems related to their industry. Through a unique perspective, you can impress potential recruiters with valuable insights into an issue.
Plan crafted content
There are always content gaps that can be exploited. This allows you to offer a fresh perspective on an issue, developed through brainstorming, insights and a publishing schedule.
Create unique and compelling content
The meat of any blog or channel is the content itself. Going beyond surface-level content with unique insights is powerful, especially when the content is highly relevant and engaging.
Engage with others and promote yourself
It is possible to build an audience and establish trust, further increasing your prospects. Of course, it helps to share content across platforms in various formats with user engagement.
Separate Public and Professional Social Media
Do you really think it’s a good idea to direct potential employers to your personal social media profiles with shots and videos of drunken nights out? No, not really! There is no reason why your bosses should have access to personal social media. When directing potential employers to social media, ensure it is for your professional profiles, such as LinkedIn. Of course, also lock down your personal profiles from strangers, as potential employers will probably check these.
Step Into Industry Networking
Networking is among the most vital parts of modern business and career development. There are usually events and conferences for just about anything within any industry. Getting your foot in the door can sometimes depend on getting to know the sector, the people and the movers and shakers within. In-person events can be a lucrative source of data where you can mingle with insiders. You can also network online with social media, forums and collaboration tools.
Take Commitments Seriously
A reputation can take years to build and seconds to destroy. One wrong post, a bad review and a missed opportunity can be all it takes to wreck what you have worked hard to build. One of the worst things you can do is overpromise and underdeliver. This never goes down well, and word will get around. This is why it is essential to know your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t proudly display examples of your work on your blog and channel.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Support
No one made it on their own. Some of the world’s most successful people will tell you they are where they are because of some other person. The trick is knowing when to seek support. You can seek private support or professional support, and a website or blog is an ideal gateway for asking for the support you need. For instance, a blog post can discuss ongoing issues within a sector, and you can reach out to industry professionals for mentorship or upcoming internships.
Personal Online Presence with “The Pitch”
Webtribunal estimates there are around 600 million active blogs with users generating 2.5 billion posts per year. You can use a blog as a platform for demonstrating skills and knowledge, even using the analogy of the elevator pitch in a unique post, or even on your site’s About page:
- Master the introduction and hook with an engaging question or compelling fact.
- Try to clearly state a problem relevant to a prospect and how you can help.
- Explain why what you are proposing matters and how your unique approach helps.
- End with a simple request, such as asking for a business card and giving yours.
- Deliver the pitch in simple terms, avoid jargon and adapt it for individual prospects.
Gather a Trove of Social Proof
What people say about you is crucial in a professional career just as much as in personal life. When you work hard and commit to getting results, word gets around. Whether you have been an employee or are building a business, word of mouth and other types of social proof are vital. Don’t be afraid to plaster this all over your blog or video channel. You can include testimonials and reviews of your work as a freelancer, or glowing recommendations from former bosses.
Summary
Marketing yourself through SEO practices via a blog or video channel will help with a personal online presence for potential employers to see. Of course, you must stand out from the crowd, and offering unique leadership thoughts can demonstrate your knowledge of a subject. It is also advisable to include social proof, such as testimonials, on your blog for recruiters to see.
