The Need to Maintain an Online Presence

I'm 57 years old and can remember a time when one could live in relative obscurity. People were more community and/or workplace based. There was nearby family, of course, but one's network didn't expand nearly as far as it does now. And if you're thinking nostalgically that in 2010 your presence and position in the world is only as wide as you want it to be, i.e. just keeping an inner circle of family and friends, then you're limiting not just the scope of your social life, but also of career development opportunities.

We can find and check out more people now than ever before. And we can be found and checked out by more people than ever before. Sound creepy? Perhaps, but it's the way it is thanks to technology. We do have a choice, though. Bemoan the new reality and wish for the old days or we can learn to engage, maybe even embrace this interconnectedness, because as many now know, despite all of the risks and flaws social media and ubiquitous computing also has benefits and value. Among the advantages is being able to manage your reputation, brand, and persona.

Now, if you don't want to be found by anyone, then hopefully you are secure in what you do for work and can count on it sustaining you for a long while. Because if you find yourself suddenly thrust into a job transition it'll be not only harder to get noticed, but more importantly difficult to be able to impress hiring authorities who will be examining you online, if they have found you.

Here are two things that you don't want potential employers finding out about you when they look for you online:

1. Little if any presence

2. A presence that looks empty, not maintained, ambiguous, blahhhh...

So what can you do? I'd start with the following:

1. LinkedIn. If you want to be taken seriously you need a LinkedIn profile. If you already have a decent resume, then let that anchor and be your guide for building the profile. If you haven't worked on your resume recently, meaning in the past two years or more, then you should probably get that house in order first. Extend from profile building to joining relevant groups, growing your connection list, and learning how to conduct people and company searches.

2. Get engaged with Twitter. I hope that you are aware by now that Twitter isn't just for kids and people with too much time on their hands. You can follow and participate in some great industry streams of thought. It's a way to get noticed, find people you should know about, and learn a lot at the same time.

3. Do you have a web site or bio on someone else's site? How do you look? Is your value and contribution, potential or actual, being communicated accurately, strongly, clearly?

4. What comes up when your name is googled? Our closets have gotten smaller and easier for job killing skeletons to lurk. You want to have a positive image of yourself to be better optimized than a negative one.

5. I have to admit that I'm not really into the Facebook culture, but I know that the rest of the world is. So, I maintain a professional look on FB and don't mention what I watched on television last night or who I saw at what party. If you are into posting a lot of personal stuff on Facebook (and that is the point, right?) then I would be clear on how your security settings are configured. A clash between personal and professional imagery might work against you.

6. Consider joining some other sites that are designed to profile you or that allow you to post blogs. Sharing expertise builds your brand and strengthens your rep.

The name of this game is constructing and cultivating a professional reputation that is available for the world to see and learn from. Is this all too much to consider when you already have so many other things to do? Well, that's why there are people like me around to help.