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Lacking a job search social presence in 2014 is like not having a home run hitter on your baseball team’s roster. You can score without one, but you’re not a scoring threat. It rarely happens in Major League Baseball that a team can win it all without a few home runs. The fans come for home runs–not doubles and singles. We love the long ball.
Getting your Google game up (the term coined by my friend and blog contributor Keith Townsend) is critical to transitioning to a new career and establishing expertise in your field. Without this job search strategy, you answer cattle call for jobs, and being noticed as a resource. Through establishing a credible online presence for your job search, the dialogue in your interview doesn’t approach the trying-out-for-a-place-on-the-roster. Instead, the conversation is business: A conversation about your talents fit in the future of the company.
Here is how can you get your Google game up to impress employers of your value and a must-have in their organization:
- What’s your name, fool? Never googled yourself? You may need to use a nickname or middle initial to stand out if you have a common name. You don’t want to share the same name space as someone who has committed any crime messing up your good name.
- Your name dominating the first page of Google. Blogs, Linked In, About.me, and guest articles in white papers leave a positive impression for employers. Positioning yourself as an expert or thought leader is more than quotes. At least a few people will follow your thoughts, direction, and to some degree your purpose.
- Your name must stand out in a good way. I recommend setting the appropriate privacy settings so that your photos are private. If you use You Tube, Facebook, or Google Plus and your photos sync from your phone to your profiles.
- Get caught serving. When you are answering questions on Quora, Linked In, or Yahoo on forums and public messaging, it portrays a positive impression. More often than not these acts of kindness will reflect on the first few pages of Google.
- Monitor your online reputation. You have probably use Google Alerts to monitor your name as it mentioned throughout the web. But you probably haven’t heard of talkwalker.com (shout out to Ms. Ileane Speaks podcast) which is another passive way to ensure you monitor your reputation.
All four of my suggestions can be established in a couple of weeks. It may take a little time but it is worth the investment. There will come a day that your Google game will be as important to employers than the traditional resume.
How’s your Google game? Do you need to improve the quality of your online presence? Leave us a message or use the comments section. Thanks.
About Mark Anthony Dyson
I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.