Branding Yourself Needed for Today’s Job Market

Your online presence can help you land your next big client.

We blog. We tweet. We write on Facebook walls. We cultivate connections on LinkedIn. And according to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself (Alpha, 2009), all that is one secret to securing work. In this economy, especially, standing out in the job market is essential. Whether you’re trying to land a new position, impress your boss or start your own business, knowing how to distinguish yourself from the rest of the online pack is the key to success.

Branding Yourself authors Sherry Beck Paprocki and Ray Paprocki recommend blogs, Twitter, social networking sites and YouTube as easy ways to disseminate your message and advertise your expertise. “Have a basic knowledge of what exists and how these networks work,” says Sherry Beck Paprocki, who warns that failing to do so could brand you as outdated. “It’s more important to know about them than it is to be a frequent user.” Indeed, going overboard could even be a liability for job seekers, says social media consultant and former Coca-Cola marketing executive Nance Rosen. “The fact that Facebook users are called ‘friends’ leads people to let their guard down, perhaps a little too much,” Rosen says.

For those who fear the time-suck of social networking, Beck Paprocki says not to fret. “Check your Facebook wall, but there’s no need to update it daily — two or three updates a week will work,” she advises. “The same goes for Twitter. Scan incoming messages, read what interests you, and tweet once or twice a week if you have something worth tweeting about.” If you want to keep content on the professional side, Beck Paprocki suggests posting news your friends or followers might be interested in. “Try to be informative when you make a post, or don’t bother,” she says. Considering the number of posts we read daily, we wish more people heeded this advice!

How about you? Has your Web presence helped you win new business? Tell us about your success story below.

Photo credit: Paul Hill

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