Maintaining your online profile today is a critical element in managing your career. But does your company have a completed online profile? Recently I was searching Linkedin for a specific company and although I found the organization, there was no company information, which would not be so bad if there was a link to their website. NO, not there either. And two of the three partners in this organization did not provide a link within their profiles to the company’s website!
It was not long ago that your entire online focus was an email address and possibly a website that was designed, hosted and maintained by someone other than you. Today, there are millions of people online with profiles on Facebook, Linkedin, VisualCV and Twitter, just to name a few and many who are maintaining their own websites and blogs. The resources available to “connect” or engage in online networking are free and easy. But you may be missing out on opportunities because the information in your profile or your company’s profile is lacking pertinent details.
Social networking sites are resources that have the potential to connect you to millions of people and generate opportunities beyond imagination. It is true that your talent could have an impact on the opportunities generated but the fact that one YouTube video could be viewed by 30 million people within 3 days attests to the power and the influence of social media today!
If you have created an online profile, is it complete? Have you included contact details? If you are associated with a company, do they have a completed online profile? You’ve just announced the publication of your new book. Did you include a link for anyone interested in purchasing it? Are you looking for connections but have your settings set to hide your profile or not to accept introductions?
Review all of the information contained in your online profile, the online profiles of the companies you are associated with, websites, blogs, etc. to ensure the information provided is complete, relevant and accurate. Accessing information that is incomplete or being drawn into something of interest only to find out it is not available leaves a bad first impression.