Establishing your online profile

Ensuring that your online profile is a positive and accurate reflection of you is essential when looking for a new job and building your career and reputation in your chosen sector. 

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, X (formally known as Twitter), and TikTok (yes, you read that right) can be used to your advantage, so it is important to know how to leverage these platforms throughout the recruitment process and your career. Here are our tips on establishing your online profile and using them as an asset!

Your online presence is not only intrinsic to your personal brand, but it also plays an essential role in your search for a new job and overall career progression. Employers and recruiters will usually research potential candidates before inviting them to an interview, and they can find out a lot about someone from sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

These sites also allow you to showcase your personal brand and provide you with the opportunity to stand out from the crowd by showing off your expertise and personality.

With social media channels now readily available, it is crucial to set up your online profile. Here is a list of the top sites that you may want to consider joining.

LinkedIn

We highly recommend using LinkedIn – with more than 830 million users, this social platform is the world’s largest professional network. If used correctly, you can connect with other business professionals and groups, as well as follow updates from employers, brands and influential business owners. From a recruitment perspective, this is a popular network to headhunt individuals for specific roles, so promoting a strong profile is more likely to get you noticed, and makes it easier for recruitment professionals and hiring managers to contact you regarding roles that you are suitable for.

It is important to remember that your profile reflects your CV, but it can be less formal. Do not be afraid to tailor your profile to include detail; state your job title and specifications, contact details and upload a clear and appropriate picture of yourself.

To take full advantage of this site it is important to create a strong profile that generates a high volume of traffic so your name can be easily found if searched in Google. You can do this through keyword placement and fully optimising your profile. 

X

It is reported that around 500 million tweets, which are now called 'posts' are sent every day on X, so getting noticed on this platform can be incredibly challenging. That being said, it is a great way of strengthening your online brand, showcasing your viewpoint on important situations and networking with business professionals. With such constant communication, X has become an excellent tool for both businesses and individuals looking to raise their profile.

After sending a 280 character post to your news feed, your followers will be able to instantly view it, repost, favourite it or reply. By using the ‘@’ symbol, users can instantly interact and network with others, providing the opportunity to continuously promote your professional brand. However, it is important to remember that the lifespan will only be around 18 minutes unless it gets engagement, so make it interesting if you want to get noticed.

It is important to remember that posts CANNOT be edited, so make sure it is correct the first time around. More recently, users have started using X threads if they have a long winded message.

X is also an excellent and efficient platform to conduct your job search. By following the industry, companies and brands you are interested in, you are more likely to build a strong relationship network. Furthermore, many companies are establishing separate accounts purely for internal recruitment which can provide you with first-hand updates and behind the scenes insights.

You should try and convey both your personality and professionalism in your posts. Do not jeopardise your image by posting something others could take offence to – first impressions are just as important online as they are in real life.

Facebook

Facebook is still one of the world’s biggest and most used social networks with an estimated 2.9 billion monthly active users. For this reason it is still a popular choice for people (and businesses). Most people will utilise their Facebook page for personal reasons, rather than their professional life, but it is important that you consider what you are putting on it.

If your Facebook profile is set to private, you do not have to worry as much, but if you want your profile to be public then please be aware of posting anything that may be deemed inappropriate. Your Facebook page will often be one of the first places a prospective employer will look. This means that any offensive or inappropriate content may put them off before you even get a chance to meet them.

Instagram

Although Instagram is primarily used on an unprofessional basis, it can still prevent you from finding work. With around one billion users (and growing), it's a place some employers could look to find out more about a candidate.

This channel is used to get more of a feel for a person: their likes and interests, and it's only worth deleting things from your profile if you really don't want people to see them. Employers won't expect you to be a robot that has no fun, or friends, outside of their working life. However, if you do decide to leave all of the content on your profile, it is worth ensuring that your spelling and grammar is correct throughout.

You can also use the platform to your advantage by searching for content that will help you. Instagram is a channel that provides a podium for content creators, with some sharing videos aimed at people that are looking for a new job (e.g. interview tips) so it's worth seeing what is out there.

TikTok

You might be surprised to read that many people are using TikTok as a way to boost their profile - professionally. TikTok is a platform that has gained immense popularity over the years, and it can significantly enhance your chances of landing your dream role for many reasons. It can showcase your personality and creativity, beyond what's visible on your CV. This can demonstrate authenticity - something which employers love to see! 

If you do some research on TikTok, you will find there are all sorts of pockets or niches, where users can share valuable insights, tips and trends for different industries, therefore demonstrating industry knowledge. Not only will this position you as a thought leader, you will also attract the attention of potential employers who are looking for knowledgeable professionals in your field. 

Overall, you'll be amplifying your online profile and standing out to potential employers. However, like with each social platform, it's important to maintain professionalismm, if you want to be noticed professionally. 

How to promote your profile

To build a strong online presence it is important to promote your profile, whether this is through your CV, covering letter, business card or email signature.

Establishing your online presence further

If you have created your chosen profiles, but are looking to establish yourself as an expert within your field, then you should concentrate on writing content. Within a short space of time, you can build a reputable name within online communities by writing and sharing relevant articles about your business expertise. LinkedIn is a great platform for sharing content. There are also many online editors that will be keen to publish brand new content via guest blogs, or you could publish and share your opinions via sites such as www.wordpress.com or www.blogger.com.

Whatever route you decide to take to establish your online presence, it is important to put a strategy in place in order to build up a reputable authority. Before choosing a social media network, think about what you want to achieve and how much time you have to commit to establishing your presence.

What next?

For more tips on establishing your online brand or if you would like help setting up your LinkedIn profile please check out our handy Candidate section. Or if you think your online profile is ready, head over to our jobs page and search our latest roles.

Alternatively you can get in touch with one of our expert Consultants today to discuss your options!