Tools and Platforms for Creating your Professional Online Presence

Many people who find their way to my blog may not know, in September 2013 I started a new job. For many reasons, this was a very exciting and timely change for me – I could not be happier where I ended up or with what I’m doing in my current position, but that’s another blog for another time.

For many people, the job search process can be a long and arduous one, filled with many applications and interviews. However, I think my most recent search might have been a bit less stressful because of the professional online presence I worked to create and maintain, which accurately marketed my skills and abilities within my industry during the interview process. 

With the various platforms and tools available to use, there is no excuse not to develop some sort of professional online presence if you are serious about your field of work. After all, as the number of available positions decline, the number of qualified candidates competing for each available position seems to go up invariably. To distinguish yourself from the pack, be sure that your presence online is excellent and relates back to your field. Give employers something to see and concrete evidence of your expertise and passions.

If you are confused about how or where to start your professional online presence, or feel you do not have the technical skills to do so, here are some quick platforms that are easy to use and will set you off on the right foot. However, be sure to always think before you post and proofread any information your current (or future) employer might see. 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a platform that has undergone many changes over the course of the last year and is almost a requirement for every job seeker, regardless of industry. Having a complete LinkedIn profile allows you to be somewhat easily searchable from most major search engines. One major benefit to this platform is the fact that it negates needing to keep your resume to a specific 1-2 page length; you no longer have to fit a prescribed industry-standard length and can leave a litany of accomplishments for employers to see. However, you should still be sure keep descriptions fairly brief to encourage readers to engage fully with your content.

In addition, LinkedIn allows users to list accomplishments and awards, which can also be linked those to articles written about your successes. The platform has hyperlink capabilities, which allow your candidacy for a position to be dynamic and engaging, not to mention, credible. LinkedIn also now allows users to claim their own custom URL (here’s mine, http://www.linkedin.com/in/hollynelsn) and create a richer presence with endorsements and recommendations from peers.

About.me

This lesser used platform has great capabilities for people who don’t feel like they are savvy enough to build their own website portfolio featuring their work. About.me essentially is designed to create a vibrant one-page virtual business card for an individual. By simply following the prompts, adding a description about who you are as a professional and making minor layout and design decisions, a professional looking page is constructed that has the capability to be hyperlinked with other media (blogs, social media, etc.). This platform is also widely sharable and encourages users to post pages to social media, like Twitter.

About.me also includes social networking abilities within the site where you can “like” or “compliment” another person’s page, but you really don’t have to participate in the About.me internal engagement tools. You can simply use this page as a jumping off point to the rest of your activities and have a simple url, like mine, http://about.me/holly.nelson. 

Blogger

Chances are if you’re reading this Blog, then you’ve found your way to Blogger.com! Blogger is a fairly easy to use platform owned by Google where you can select and modify templates and post blogs online. I prefer Blogger because the platform easily ties to my Gmail account and Google+.

Word to the wise, when posting blogs it’s important to remember to edit, edit, edit! Even with a mother who was an English teacher, I still make mistakes. If you’re putting your professional stamp of approval on what you’ve written, do your due diligence to make sure you’re publishing something that won’t get you a reputation for being lazy or for not paying attention to detail. 

Tumblr

Another platform which is fairly easy to use to develop your professional presence is Tumblr.com. By utilizing Tumblr, users can essentially create their own microblog (small snippets of content, like a Tweet) by creating their own content and sharing content originated by others. Tumblr is a growing platform among young adults and the blog site created by utilizing Tumblr is easy to share with folks who don’t use Tumblr since your account creates it’s own site. Here is a public link to my Tumblr http://hollynelsn.tumblr.com/.

  

Build a Custom Website

I know this might be overwhelming to some people, but rest assured, new platforms are available that are highly customizable and do not require any code or backend technological skills, whatsoever. My favorite of these is wix.com. 

Wix.com contains a multitude of features, designs, and templates that make it easy to plug in your information and be set with a professional presence. The best thing about Wix.com is that the platform is totally free! The company often offers free webinars and workshops to non-paying members and even has workspaces in major metropolitan cities, like New York City. However, if you choose to be a paying customer, you can purchase your URL from Wix.com and pay minimal fees for hosting. The website I built using Wix.com when I was applying for my current job features photos of projects, links to social media, and more. An updated version of the website is available here http://hollynelson25.wix.com/hollynelsn. 

The above websites and platforms are simply suggestions to get you started on your way to building your professional online presence; there are many other options for how and where to get started. Many professions where practitioners are expected to have an online presence or artist portfolio will have specific sites and platforms that are overwhelmingly preferred by their industries. It’s important to investigate others in your field and find out what they are using, but if people in your profession are not reaching out online, you should be the trendsetter begin finessing your professional online presence first!