“we become more and more transparent with the use of the internet and social media. Social media have evolved beyond the purpose of sharing personal stories but has developed creating new business opportunities”
With employers screening potential candidates’ social network as part of a recruitment process and monitoring employees’ digital activities, we need to regulate the content that is on our social media.
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Better to be left alone then to be belittled?
“Many people don’t have a profile. Or worse, they have one that looks like an untended flower garden.” There are two things that needs to be addressed here, those who do not have a profile and those who are not maintaining it. Addressing the first issue on hand. Individuals should get started on It as it is vital to market yourself to earn a living these days. As for the latter, it is understandable that many refuse to do so due to privacy issues or the fear of how things may back fire on them. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful and smart about it.
Some tips on how to create a professional profile by:
Lesley Albright
Courtney Seiter
Joanne Tombrakos
Gary Nissim
We are not particularly limited to LinkedIn, to publish our profile. There are other avenues that we can work with such as maintaining a professional blog, being professionally active on various media platforms or even your own podcast. Regardless of the tool employed, we should consistent to safeguard your reputation.
What makes it authentic?
It is vital to define who you are, what you’ve done and what you like on your profile. However, it isn’t required of you to share your entire personal life and views to make it authentic. The idea is basically to have a controlled expression of your personality. It is also possible to link a digital professional profile to a personal site where you can display slightly less formal side of yourself.
A well-maintained blog says more about a person more than a CV or a LinkedIn profile could. It shows ones’ dedication as it takes up ones time and effort. As blogging can be very personalised it expresses one’s creativity and knowledge in that topic of interest. Moreover, bloggers who are able to discuss important topics in an intellectual and tasteful manner reaching out to relavent audience shows their enthusiasm and passion. These attributes are what readers such as employers are keen to know.
Having discussed the above, the key to develop an authentic digital professional profile, is to be digitally savvy and fully aware of the outcomes caused by every action. Only then, it would be possible to angle the virtual community to your advantage.
Reference:
Bob Bertsch. 7 Dec2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVIbvHzcV0M
Johnathan Tay. http://community.jobscentral.com.sg/articles/survey-results-three-four-employers-singapore-snoop-job-candidates-online-jobscentral-s
Joanne Tombrakos. 30 Nov 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2012/11/30/7-reasons-you-need-a-vibrant-digital-profile/#4eb3844d4e90
John Box. 20 may 2016. http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg/Media-Centre/News/2016/5/Making-the-most-of-the-social-media-opportunity
Lisa Harris. 16 Oct 2014. http://www.slideshare.net/lisaharris/building-a-professional-digital-profile
Maike Hennig. 11 Jun 2015. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-excellent-professional-profiles-digital-era-maike-hennig
Space between 
Hi Mogan!
I personally feel that going against our natural inclinations can make us feel like impostors. As you have said “it isn’t required of you to share your entire personal life and views to make it authentic.” However, few jobs allow us to do that for long as we advance in our careers where demands or expectations can change. Not crossing boundaries could penalize our rights to voicing our opinions online, thus the limits set might be a little challenging to achieve. Does that mean you support the use of multiple identities? According to hbr (https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-to-separate-the-personal-and-professional-on-social-media), some professionals (and in a recent survey that 40% of respondents) felt compelled to accept friend requests from professional contacts. So to avoid such complications shouldn’t our digital profiles stay aligned instead? If not, what are the ways that individuals can stay professional while not sacrificing their own authentic self?
-Elvina
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Hello Mogan,
That was an insightful take on the topic! Whether we like it or not, potential employers may take to our social media profiles to understand who we are.
You mentioned of two things to be addressed. Those who do not have an account and those who do. Linking this to the concept of Digital Visitors and Residents, I would like to know what you feel about the impact the pressure to create an online professional profile can be on individuals who might classify as digital visitors.
You also speak of how one needs to maintain his/her profile in order to attract and make an impression with a potential employer. But how do you feel about the argument that professional and personal profiles should be separate and one should not have an impact on the other?
All in all, I feel like you’re post does a good job of laying out the relevance of maintaining and developing an authentic professional account.
Cheers!
Isaac
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