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Regular self-monitoring of social media profiles is important to manage your desired online persona. It is important to set clear boundaries between your work and private life, and make good use of privacy settings to maintain your personal brand. While authenticity can endear you to employers, you should still maintain professionalism. Posts with a strong narrative about the process of success (or failure) can spark discussion and debate, strengthen your personal brand and get the attention of recruiters or employers. One way to do this is, like the student who wrote about improving her writing, to share stories about how you accomplished something or reached a goal. Instead, I’ll show I’m a constant learner. We’re all developing, and I don’t want to show employers a perfect, yet not ‘me’ image. You should initiate conversations, collect thoughts and gather feedback from others in your field. Engage with othersĪ good personal brand isn’t just about your own profile, it also involves engaging with others to show your dedication and interest in the profession. Your challenges and weaknesses can be an important part of an authentic profile. The post attracted hundreds of likes and comments, including advice, encouragement and similar stories from people in her network.ĭon’t be afraid to make mistakes – obsessing about creating a perfect personal brand can lead to procrastination, concerns about being judged or rejected, and may lead to disengagement with the job search overall. One student wrote a LinkedIn post about her writing skills and how she was seeking to improve them. Participants told us that these posts are popular with followers, help generate conversations, and result in stronger personal brands. Posts about challenges and struggles in learning or workplaces show potential employers what makes you unique, and that you are able to self reflect and grow from mistakes. But our interviews reveal that taking the risk to showcase your weaknesses and imperfections can pay off. When building your online profile, it may feel natural to just include your strengths and successes. He recommended including specific details about achievements in a role, as well as asking people they have worked with to post endorsements and testimonials, which is something a CV won’t have.Ī recruiter noted that some employers are turning to online profiles instead of CVs, because they allow for a more complete view of the applicant’s personal brand. One career adviser told us that he was concerned students were “underselling themselves” on LinkedIn by only including mandatory information such as name and current job title. You likely won’t work for the same organisations throughout your career, so it’s important to maintain and refresh your online persona. The more current and detailed your profile is, the easier it will be for the right employer to find you.

#Usable linkedin backgrounds professional#

They use these profiles to evaluate potential hires’ talents and professional skills, but also their fit with company culture.

Stay up to dateĮmployers expect young professionals to use platforms like LinkedIn to build an authentic and unique online profile. Here are some tips for creating your own personal brand: 1. One of the recruiters we interviewed said that this approach makes candidates “stand out from the crowd and makes me stop and look at them rather than just clicking to the next profile”. These may not necessarily show them as “perfect” but willing to share imperfections and weaknesses instead. They share their ongoing projects, struggles and challenges in the professional world, and ask followers to contribute ideas and give suggestions. We found that Gen Z values a dynamic, interactive, work-in-progress style of personal brand, rather than one that feels overly curated and fake. Why menstrual leave could be bad for women

#Usable linkedin backgrounds how to#

Trust is important if you want to succeed at work – here’s how to build it When what you type doesn’t mean the same thing to the (older) person you’re texting or tweeting

#Usable linkedin backgrounds series#

The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties.