While you may have chosen to ignore the phenomenal success of social media opting for a low profile citing privacy as a primary concern, you may very well discover that your reputation has been more negatively affected by remaining invisible than if you had established a visible online profile. It is inevitable that your name will come to life online with or without your input. Recently I googled a client’s name and results showed, “curmudgeonly & eccentric, barely socialised, catastrophically unhygenic, frequently profane, inappropriate & blasphemous”! Of course, this was not the individual I was looking for but there were no results to the contrary. If you are not easily identifiable many will not invest the time required to look further and you may have a negative impression cast over your name despite your desire to simply protect your privacy. If the effort is made to search further only to discover that you are nowhere to be found the natural impression will be similar to omitting dates and leaving employment gaps in your resume. What are you trying to hide? A potential employer could also decide the lack of an online presence reflects a resistance to staying current.  

Every day millions of people are searching online for results including the vast majority of HR and recruiting professionals looking for potential candidates and veryifying profiles. If you have a common name it will already be a challenge to modify it in order to find a variation of your name that is available to establish your online profile on many of the social media sites as many common names have already been taken. If you have a unique name it could take a little longer before your name comes to life without you but remember millions of people are creating their online profiles around the world so the sooner you claim your name and establish your brand, the better.    

Social Media has provided an exceptional forum for online networking increasing opportunities for those seeking to market themselves or their products but even for those who have created their online profiles there is still much work to be done in order to establish a highly visible, unique brand in order to stay competitive and discredit impostors.   

If you still feel that social media is not your cup of tea and believe that maintaining a website is more than adequate, Casey Hibbard writes an enlightening article for SocialMedia Examiner, Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle. You’ll find out why an organization with 14 million unique visitors to their site each month turned to social media to claim their name and maintain their brand.

Contact Martin Buckland to find out more about the executive career management services available at Elite Resumes.

Jobvite has surveyed hundreds of HR and recruiting professionals to produce their Social Recruiting Survey 2010 with results showing 83% are using or plan to use social media for recruiting. Of those with plans to hire in 2010, 93% currently use or plan to recruit via social networks; 86% using Linkedin, 60% are using Facebook and 50% use Twitter.

It is easy to understand why HR and recruiting professionals are using social media as a resource when you see the number of users on the top three sites; Facebook with approximately 500 million, Twitter 100 million and Linkedin with over 70 million! To put this in perspective, the population of Canada is only 34 million and there are only two countries in the world with a population greater than that of Facebook!

Further results from the Jobvite survey are contained in the following charts: 

With statistics like these, can you afford to ignore a professional online presence? Need help? Contact Martin Buckland at Elite Resumes, providing executive career management services since 1993.

…it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.” This excerpt is from the following Social Media Revolution 2 video, a refresh of the original video with new and updated social media & mobile statistics and based on the book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman. Enjoy this amazing video:

“We don’t have a choice whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it.” ~ Erik Qualman

Are you utilizing social media to manage your executive career?

The increasing online presence of millions of people utilizing social media is resulting in a transparency not everyone is comfortable with. The transition from content consumers to content producers and the vast amount of information being shared is eliminating the choice of maintaining a private, personal profile separately from a public, professional profile. Of course there are still those who will disagree with me but take note because this is a trend that will eventually expose even you. If you have been tagged in a photo, you understand that you didn’t post the photo of yourself online, someone else did. Without control over the content that is being produced it is actually in your best interest to generate and manage your own online information. Of course you can make every effort to resist a public profile but the natural presumption will be that you have something to hide resulting in a lack of trust and credibility.

Internet use and social media continue to evolve as we leave behind an industrial era that presented the need to establish a separate work life from our personal life. Recognition and reparation have resulted in a gradual return to a healthy work/life balance and at the same time, social media has provided the platform for connecting people and business. This online merge of personal and professional profiles will be a struggle for many but the resulting transparency will present the ability to determine credibility. David Houle, Futurist, predicted and refers to this era as The Transformation Decade.

In the past, many companies successfully marketed themselves without a personal presence leaving many unsuspecting customers at a loss to follow up with unsatisfactory products or services. Social media has provided a venue for sharing information and the potential to generate global awareness making it more difficult to maintain a low profile. Soon, there will be nowhere to hide from the most powerful influence in our society, word of mouth. Separate entities or brands are becoming less acceptable and in order to validate your integrity and credibility 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.

Finally, when Facebook launched in 2004 many thought of it as solely a youth based, social network. As with many things, especially social media, changes and growth have been astounding but still many perceptions today are based on outdated and unfounded facts. If the significance of the changes and growth have not been recognized, the following article and stats will be of interest. After meeting Mark Zuckerberg at a Facebook event in May, 2007, Paul Allen, Internet Entrepreneur wrote, Prediction: Facebook will be the largest social network in the world. He sums it up with, “Mark’s philosophy of openness is an open invitation to co-create something remarkable with him and his 24 million users.” It has been three years and Facebook now has 500 million users! To put this number in perspective, the United States has a population of 309 million and Canada’s population is 34 million. Only two counties in the world have a larger population than Facebook, India and China. Still think it’s just for kids and games?

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

The Ultimate Social Media Checklist for Job Hunters, posted by Mark at applicant.com provides an excellent resource for incorporating social media into your job search. This extensive checklist includes links to many other articles, 30 Ways to Land a Job in 2010 and The 101 Top Twitter Job Search and Careers Experts are among many that will inform, educate, connect and ensure a visible profile positioning you in the forefront of a competitive job market.

The above provide links to information on every aspect of a career ranging from junior entry level to seasoned senior executives. The information and the experts encompass every topic from resumes, networking, job search, job interview to personal branding, career management and social media.

The wealth of information available today may at times seem overwhelming. To avoid becoming lost in exploring the infinite amount of knowledge available, break down the information into individual topics to assist in acquiring a reasonable amount of knowledge within an acceptable time frame. It may also be advisable to begin simply by searching for the definitions of social media, blogs, personal branding and career coaching to establish a comfortable foundation of knowledge.

We live in a world of experts, some focussing on a specific area of interest, such as resume writing or job search strategies but there are also those experts who are certified to provide a variety of executive career management services which also include personal branding strategist, executive coaching and employment interview professional. If you feel you could benefit more from speaking to a professional certified to provide a variety of services, contact Martin Buckland at Elite Resumes.          

The power of social media is truly amazing and the blazing trail of transparency ensuing is both exciting and frightening. If there is one common thread, it is CHANGE and understanding those changes and learning how to use the power of the Web and social networks is key to the success of your career or business. The following are some of the most influential people on the Web today and the information they share is proof of their expertise.

Canadian Business Magazine presents, Rahaf Harfoush: An Inside Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand,

Trust Agents, Using the web to build influence, improve reputation, and earn trust, written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is an exceptional guide providing a wealth of knowledge, understanding and step by step lessons. Whether you are brand new to the scene or a seasoned Web user you will benefit from this book. Excerpt; “Those who are active on the Web now realize that they need to embrace this new transparency, that all things will now eventually be known. Companies can no longer hide behind a veneer of a shiny branding campaign, because customers are one Google search away from the truth. …..Companies must acknowledge that they are as naked on the Web as individuals are.”

Six Pixels of Separation, Everyone is connected. Connect your business to everyone, written by Mitch Joel. “The truth is, we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation. In fact, we’re now down to six pixels of separation, which changes everything we know about doing business.”This is a terrific how to book on connecting with others and gaining an understanding of digital marketing, social media, personal branding and entrepreneurship.

Crush It!, Why now is the time to cash in on your passion, written by Gary Vaynerchuk. You will learn how to harness the power of the Internet from one of the best and most successful pioneers on personal branding and transparency. Describing the change as the evolution of building word of mouth to ”word of mouth on steroids”! A step by step guide to using all of the social networking tools on the Internet.

Are you between the ages of 30 and 40 years old? If so, according to Susannah Fox, “Twitter and Status Updating, Fall 2009“, you represent the median age for all three of the top social media sites, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. If you thought social media was just for kids, think again.

An article by John Moore, CTO, “Your 2010 Social Media Plan, Get that person hired”, provides advice about experience when hiring a social media professional and says, “They must have existing accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Anyone who is not participating on these networks is living in the 1990s and does not understand the importance of social networking.”

You are probably not a social media professional, but as a job seeker, can you afford to disregard the vast amount information available from surveys and statistics? Jeff Cole writes, “How you should use that social media life jacket to get a job”. He says, “Another statistic – according to Nielsen, 80 percent of employers start their search for employees on LinkedIn. Obviously, that’s a site a job hunter wants to be a part of. In fact, social media is a place a job hunter should want to be.”

If you are in career transition, it is in your best interest to create a visible online profile. If you wish to create opportunities to advance in your present career, you must maintain a professional online profile. Once visible, it is imperative that you think before you post. Martha Irvine writes, “For stars, high-tech gaffes hard to hide”. Whether a star on not, your online profile will allow potential employers to review information about you that will influence their decision. Existing employers will also have the ability to stumble upon your information so be very careful. It really is pretty simple if you ask yourself, is it professional? Most will agree that posting a negative opinion about anyone for all to see is not acceptable, professional etiquette and will do more damage to your reputation than the person you’re trashing online.

Contact Elite Resumes to speak with a Certified Professional Branding Strategist.

An online presence continues to evolve into the most influential factor in the success of your career! In an article, The Boom of Social Sites and Personal Branding, Chad Levitt writes, “In the next decade, the best opportunities will go to those that have created their personal brands and are seen as leaders in their niche.” He goes on to say, “The most credible and visible personal brands will stand the greatest odds of success in an increasingly online and competitive world. 

If you are still questioning the influence and the power of an online presence, google Gary Vaynerchuk or read his book, Why Now Is The Time To CRUSH IT! Cash In On Your Passion. ABC News called him the “Social Media Sommelier”. He truly understands the power of the Internet and his enormous success is proof of that.

Trust Agents, Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, And Earn Trust, written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is another excellent book providing more evidence on the power of the Web and social networks.

If these experts can’t convince you, how about someone who was a complete unknown in April of this year? On April 15th I posted, First Impressions and on that date, Susan Boyle had been viewed on YouTube 5 million times in three days. Today, over 300 million people have viewed her on that YouTube video and sales of her first album release have surpassed all records including topping Amazon’s bestseller list, three months before it was released! Yes, her voice is amazing, but without the Internet, how many people would she have influenced?

The opportunity to embrace the power of the Internet is available to everyone and social media, unlike print or television and radio media is free. Your online presence will be the driving force in the success of your career. Are you utilizing these resources to successfully manage your career?

Contact Elite Resumes for further information on creating your online presence in addition to many other executive, career management services.