Marketing Yourself Online: How, Where and When?

If you do a Google search for “Karina Olivier”, you will find me on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, my personal blog, Recruit Digital, Skype, etc. Some people think that my life is really sad and that I have to broadcast it all over the Internet, others think that I just get addicted to the “likes” and the “follows”. The actual reason: I love social media. I love how it provides me with a platform to share my thoughts and visions and how it connects me with relevant people in my industry…I love everything about it.

I deal with people on a daily basis who are not interested in marketing themselves online: “I am talented enough, the right people will find me and offer me a job.” How? Where will they find you? I can promise you that your dream job won’t be listed in the back of “Die Burger”. It depends on what your dream job is I guess. There are hundreds of candidates who will get the job before you because they made themselves visible.

So please, allow me to introduce you to your “online self”:

1. LinkedIn
This has to be the most powerful tool for job hunting, building connections and staying up to date with relevant updates within your industry. Just remember that simply creating a profile with no photo and leaving it at that will not help in you in any way. You need to be thorough, and please, get a nice photo! No one will take you seriously if you are walking on the beach with your girlfriend/mom/sister. Choose one where you are smiling, well dressed and shows the best part of your lovely face. The next step will be to start publishing some of your work and to connect with people in your industry. Make sure that your profile stays updated. When headhunting, this is my “go-to” platform. I definitely find the most candidates on LinkedIn.

2. Twitter
Okay let’s get this straight, you are not on Twitter to see how many followers you can get. If people are not following you, you aren’t being interesting. Be relevant, be honest and be funny (that helps). You are on Twitter to gain access to breaking news, trends, new jobs etc. If you follow the right people and search for the right hashtags you will always be up to speed with what is going on in your industry. Remember that when going for job interviews, your interviewer will be stalking you online, so keep it professional, and only publish things that you can feel proud of. Don’t drink and tweet.

3. Blogs/Newsletters
It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, there will be a relevant blog/newsletter that you can follow or subscribe to. This will keep you informed and connect you with influential people (like the guys and girls over here at Recruit Digital) that could help you find your next job.

4. Online Profile
A part from all the social media platforms, you can use something like wix.com to create a professional online profile. You can send this to selected people and use it as a CV. On here you will have all of your professional experience, your references, your published work and an insight to who you are and what you have achieved.

The Internet is really not that scary. Use it, don’t abuse it! The great thing is that you can choose what you put on it. Here are some important rules when it comes to creating an online presence:

• Always be honest

• Don’t be lame and buy followers

• Be safe, use protection! Oh, and don’t give away personal info like banking details etc

• Don’t believe everything and anything that you see online

• Have fun and soak up as much relevant information as possible

Being active on the above mentioned platforms has broadened my horizons, it has improved my general knowledge, it has made me confident and it has presented me with a whole lot of opportunities.

So if you had any doubts… just do it! Create the new online you and open a whole new world. Safe travels.

And remember: Use it, don’t abuse it!