Who Am I? To have a Social Media Profile or not to have a Social Media Profile…

• In 2012 Eurocom performed a survey which found that 1 in 5 Technology Executives rejected potential new hires based on their Social Media Profiles.

• In 2014 CareerBuilder, based out of Chicago, conducted a survey which included 3022 online respondents which found that 51% of employers who research job candidates on social media said they’ve found content that caused them to not hire the candidate, up from 43% from 2013 and 34% in 2012. In addition, at least 43% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 39% from 2013 and 36% in 2012.

• A month ago, September 2016, Jobvite released the results of its annual social recruiting survey, which showed that 92% of recruiters vet candidates’ social media profile before offering them a job.

According to David Ryan Polgar, a Digital Lifestyle Expert (quoted in Forbes.com), not having a Social Media Profile is also a huge warning sign for future employers:

• Does this person actually exist or is it some dodgy, fake profile or scam?
• Does this person know how technology works if they don’t have a social profile?
• Is this person anti-social and would thus not fit into our corporate culture?
• Does this person even get abreast of the news if they have no social media presence?

So what does this all mean?

If you want to stay relevant, get ahead in your corporate career, increase your access to key industry stakeholders and/or build yourself within your social and industry circles, you NEED to activate your Personal Brand online.

Young or old, having a digital and social personal brand which effectively relays your message can open many doors. From individuals just getting into the job market, right through to retired individuals who still have incredible value to give back to organisations via contracting or consulting, if you don’t have a digital and social brand, you WILL get left behind.

Developing your personal brand…

Taking the time to figure out your personal brand is a valuable step toward, but it takes a lot of time, investment and serious effort. Your personal brand includes your real-world reputation and your online image. It is how you want people to think of you. A successful personal brand takes in-depth planning and a several pronged- approach. It won't give overnight results, but requires on-going consistency and relevance, for which the ultimate wait will be most rewarding. The pay-off for managing and planning your reputation can lead to wide-ranging opportunities and enhanced professional potential.

There are certain steps that you must take to establish, develop and preserve your brand. You must create a unique brand that will engage people's attention, and this must be tactically and strategically planned, creating an end-product that is memorable. Identifying the target audience you want to appeal to will help you shape your personal brand. A narrower focus is an initial effective strategy to setting yourself apart. A successful brand is about being different and 'being a thought-leader' in a particular field. Becoming THE go-to guy or gal!

By establishing what your values are, what contribution you want to make and utilising your passions, your brand will be defined. You need to know yourself, clearly understand what you are selling and who you are selling to, to be successful. Using social media sites, interacting with and embracing your followers will reap rewards. Your purpose is what you want to make a reality with your brand. By identifying what you want people to see, you will know which social media sites to put your time and energy into. If you want to be seen as a professional, for instance, you will first develop your LinkedIn profile before other platforms. Using blogging to discuss topics central to your end game, is one such avenue.

Some of your typical social media sites that can help you build and expand your personal brand if utilised properly include: Facebook (1.59 billion users), Instagram (400 million users), Twitter (320 million users), Google (300 million users), LinkedIn (100 million users) and Pinterest (100 million users).

Make it easy for users to navigate your profiles. Regularly use links and incorporate clickable buttons to your other social media profiles. Make reference to previous posts which will keep your engagement with your audience going. You can't reach your goals if no one knows about you and what you want to achieve. In compiling materials, remember:

• 90% of all information transmitted to our brains is visual.
• People remember 80% of what they see, but only 20% of what they read.
• Remember too, that there will always be 'haters'; promoting your personal brand opens the door to people telling you exactly what they think of you or your opinion. You must develop a thick skin, and take it from whence it comes.

So… realising the opportunities which could be passing you by not having your own Social and Digital Personal Brand, what are you waiting for?

Nikki Pahliney of Minds in Sync:

It's all about YOU: personal brand activation, brand development, day-to-day content management, sharing and creation, as well as individual career coaching

You are unique and so is your personal brand. If you are not online, you don't exist. Tackling the work world, activating your personal brand and jump-starting the job hunt can be incredibly daunting, but it doesn't have to be. We take it off your plate!

Contact: [email protected] or https://www.mindsinsync.co.za/get-in-touch

Credit additional source: Brittany Krueger @visme