Build a Professional Online Presence: Guide for Recent Grads

There are plenty of ways that you can improve your online presence. All of the tips below will improve your online presence and will also work to help improve your standing on the Google search engine results pages–especially if you ally many of the tips with your own website.

Set up a Google+ Page and Facebook Fan Page

These are two of the same things but on different social media networks. They allow you to focus on you or your online presence without either of the social media networks claiming you are spamming or being overly promotional. They are designed so that they may improve your online presence and even improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website.

Set up a LinkedIn profile

As a recent grad, this is the perfect thing to do. It is like an online CV that you can show to the world. Include things that are relevant to the online presence you want to set up, which means if you are looking to be a highly respected physicist, then do not mention your record for most beers chugged in your college dorm.

Guest Posts for Authority Resources to Become a Pro

If you write enough guest posts for authority blogs and resources then you may be considered an online expert by a small batch of the online community. You may also be able to get your name out there a little more which is handy if people start Googling your name to see what you are all about. You may also link up your guest posts using the Google+ authorship program.

Sign up to the Google+ authorship program

You do not have to be the one who actually writes online articles, but you can hire someone and have them post on your Google+ authorship account. If you are looking to attract people from a certain area/expertise, then this is where you may do it comfortably. You may find new followers through signing up for the Google+ authorship program.

Create a video resume using free video creating tools

There are video editing, creation and manipulation tools online that you can use, so why not try creating a video resume that you post online? It will give you an edge over the other people applying for jobs who have not thought of creating a video resume

Set up a personal Facebook, Twitter and Google+ profile

These are the three big social media networks that are going to help you build an online presence. Set up personal profiles so that people may research you and your name specifically. Do not post too often, and if you do make sure you are only posting your best and most relevant material. Since you are only marketing yourself as a person (and not a business) there is no need to routine or regular posts–just make sure there is something up there for when people land on your profiles.

Create an animated resume

With an animated resume you can get to the point right away, and it means you need not create a substandard video resume if you do not really have a commanding video presence. Creating an animated video still gives you the chance to post a video resume with the added assurance that it will probably be of a higher quality than the video movie resumes made with a handheld camera.

Give people a face to your name

This means make sure you have photos of you on your social media networks and profiles and on your website and blog. People are animals by nature and react better to photographic images of the things they have taken an interest in.

Be about something (have a brand)

Marketing yourself for your many achievements may be all well and good but it is not likely to raise your public and online profile. Give people a single thing to be proud of you for. Give them a brand about you which is about a single thing. You can mention that you have done plenty of other things in your life but they are just a smaller part of your bigger brand image.

Publish the good only

This goes for all online content. Do not allow the stink of poor quality work to contaminate your online presence and brand. This goes from your longer blog posts to things as short as a Tweet. If you are not 100% sure of the high quality of the post that is about to be associated with your name, then give it a miss.

Article contributed by Jess Millis, experienced writer, editor and copywriter. She works as an educator in James Madison University (writing classes) and at EssayMama.com as a freelance essay writer.