Online Tools for Effective Career Planning and Successful Job Search

Cecile Peterkin
Posted by in Career Advice


Your career brand is the combination of your reputation as an employee or worker and your likely impact on potential employers. So how do you show off your career brand? Well, it all starts with your resume, but there are also a lot of other means by which you can establish your reputation, especially online.

The following is a breakdown of different online branding tools that are available to you and how you may use them for your career branding.

LinkedIn Profile

Having a LinkedIn profile is a must for every professional these days. When creating your profile, it must be one that serves as your resume and a preview to your career brand as well. In order for you to maximize the power of this professional networking site, you must build connections with its numerous members. This way, you can be introduced to many other professionals by the people in your network.

Own Website

Among the most effective ways of promoting your brand is through your own professional website. Your website should be focused on highlighting your experiences and accomplishments. It is recommended also that you publish not just your resume, but your career portfolio itself. Make it a point also to update your site with fresh content on a regular basis that contains keywords related to your profession or the industry you’re in. This will help lead potential employers to your site.

Twitter

Social networking sites such as Twitter are not only for people who want to meet friends online. Professionals and job seekers like you can also utilize it to connect with prospective employers and build your career brand. What you should do is tweet valuable information, professional advice and useful resources so that you may build a following.

Other Social Networking Sites

Instagram is a social networking site that has grown in popularity over the last few years, mainly because people are generally interested in seeing photos of individuals, places, and even food and clothing. If you are a fashion designer or an event organizer perhaps, you can surely benefit from having an Instagram account. You can use it to showcase your work, which is an excellent way of advertising your products or services. Again, it is all a matter of being attentive to details and having the discipline to frequently monitor and maintain your account.

Final Thoughts

There is no denying that one’s job search success strongly depends on establishing an online career brand. While posting your resume on job boards is still a good job hunting technique, you should also spend time exploring and using various online tools to build your career brand. This is an essential part of career planning that will certainly benefit you in the long run.

Comment

Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    Hi @Allison - thanks for the question. No you should not ask your parents for a reference. You want to ask "business" people - supervisor, co-workers, etc. for a reference. And never assume that they will be a reference; always ask first. We have many articles here on our sites that are concerned with branding. http://www.beyond.com/articles/branding-yourself-16166-article.html: try this one. Hope it helps. Wish you all the best.

  • Allison A.
    Allison A.

    How do you begin a career brand. I'm leaving my old job in two months. I will get a reference from my boss. What else? Teaching is funny? I don't know if it is appropriate to ask parents for a reference?

  • You Might Also Be Interested In

Jobs to Watch