Social Profile Advice

To join a social site first you fill out a Profile. Before you see how the site works, how personal information is displayed, entering it is mandatory. It's scary, especially without a reassurance that you can change it later or delete the account at the worst. (I have a few empty profiles floating about in cyberspace, and one very frustrating important one I can't get changed, grr!)

Gloria Hess, writing in the Northwestern Alumni Association blog, offers tips for using a LinkedIn profile for job hunting. She says, "Professional networking sites work two ways: they make it easier to connect with new contacts and colleagues, and they increase your visibility to everyone online—including recruiters and hiring managers. With this in mind, you should polish your profile to ensure that your online image is the most professional and effective in promoting your 'brand.'"

You can read the details at Career Coach Offers Expert “LinkedIn” Profile Advice | Northwestern Alumni Association. Hess' suggestions include:

Have another set of eyes review it.
Be sure you are accurately representing yourself.
Double-check your spelling and grammar.
Make sure your branding is clear and targeted.
Be selective in what you choose to showcase and how you showcase it.

There's that word again, "branding". I hope I can coax Hess into contributing a piece on how to apply the "brand" concept to freelance work.

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