The increased online presence of millions of people utilizing social media is resulting in a transparency that not everyone is comfortable with. But this blurring of lines between personal and professional profiles is fait accompli. A decision to reject this will only hurt your own brand as the natural presumption will be that you have something to hide.

Internet use and social media continue to evolve as we leave behind an industrial era that created a separate work life from our personal life. Recognition and reparation have resulted in a return to a healthy work/life balance and at the same time, social media has brought our online personal profiles to a public visibility that was previously sought after only for a professional profile. This online merge of private and professional profiles will be a struggle for many but with the resulting transparency, we will have the ability to determine credibility.

In the past many companies have successfully marketed themselves without a personal presence leaving many unsuspecting customers at a loss to follow up with unstatisfactory products or services. Social media has provided a venue for sharing information and the potential to generate global awareness. Soon, there will be nowhere to hide from the most powerful influence in today’s society; word of mouth.

Oprah, Richard Branson and Steve Jobs have all established highly successful brands both personal and professional. Separate entities or brands are becoming less acceptable and in order to validate your integrity and crediblity or that of your business, a commitment to visibly stand behind your personal reputation, product or service will be necessary if you wish to succeed.

For further information on developing your online profile contact Elite Resumes.

Tags: Social Media

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 2:11 pm and is filed under Career Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.