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9 Tips to Streamline Your Online Job Search

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By Aarthi Arunkumar

Job searching can be tedious. Use your time wisely by focusing on the best strategies. Follow these tips to simplify your online job search.

Trying to find a new job is not always easy. From preparing resumes to writing cover letters and keeping track of the applications, job hunting can be daunting. The best way to take the stress out of your job search is to streamline the process and be prepared.

With these simple tips, getting hold of your dream job will no longer be a far-fetched dream.

1. Be Mindful of Your Time

Searching for a job online can soon become a full-time job if you are not careful. Set aside a couple of hours to actively search for a job and wisely utilize the rest of the time. You can learn something new, get certified, watch career development Ted Talks, or listen to podcasts on personal growth.

Searching with proper keywords is crucial to finding relevant jobs. If you’re using generic words like Writer or Photographer, you will be wasting a lot of time shuffling through the irrelevant jobs. Instead, use proper keywords like Real Estate Photographer or Marketing Copywriter.

Also, you can save time if you use the filter options in the job search websites. For example, add details like your experience level, preference for on-site or remote working, salary estimate, distance from your home, etc., to narrow your search results.

3. Search Niche Job Websites

You can find most job listings on LinkedIn and Indeed job boards, but you can access specialized jobs on niche websites. For instance, if you’re looking for remote or part-time employment, FlexJobs and We Work Remotely have various opportunities worldwide. For NGO and charity jobs, Idealist can be your best bet.

4. Find Connections on LinkedIn

You know how important LinkedIn is for your career growth. So, make sure you actively find connections and follow them. You can learn about the happenings in the industry and find job opportunities through them. Remember, your new connection can be the ticket to your new job.

Spend a considerable time on LinkedIn to build your network. It is imperative if you’re just starting or trying to switch careers.

5. Tailor Your CV

Are you sending the same resume to different employers? If so, it’s time to change that. Hiring managers expect you to customize your resume for each job you apply for. You don’t have to start from scratch, but make sure to tweak your summary and bring attention to the relevant skills and experience.

Before you apply for a job, follow these steps.

  1. Read the job description from end to end
  2. Think of how you can add value to the job.
  3. List down the appropriate experience and skills.
  4. Edit the summary, skills, and experience sections of your resume.
  5. Apply with your customized resume.

It’s a good idea to keep your resume in a standard format like a Word or PDF document to make the edits quickly. You can make a template and keep it handy, or try a customizable template online. If you’re using an infographic resume, it may be time-consuming to edit, plus you’ll need special software and expertise.

6. Learn More About Your Future Employer

Instead of following the spray and pray strategy, where you apply for several jobs and wait for something to work out, spend time researching and shortlisting the companies you strive to work for. Go to each company’s website and browse the About Us page to learn more about its principles and values. Likewise, check out the Social Media pages and get to know the top management.

Researching about your future employers will also give you pointers to add to your cover letter.

7. Write a Killer Cover Letter

It can be time-consuming to write a cover letter for each job you apply for, but when you write one, it will show the employer that you’re highly interested in the position and took the time to market yourself. In addition, a well-written cover letter will give you an edge over the other applicants by urging the recruiter to look at your application more closely.

When you write a cover letter, it is vital that you don’t just repeat the information in your resume. Instead, your cover letter should have details that are not in your resume. You can also add more elements about a particular skill or experience that is only briefly listed in your resume.

Your cover letter is also a place to explain your career gaps and relevant hobbies. Give your address and contact details clearly at the top of the page. Keep your cover letter short, proofread it many times, and ensure it’s error-free.

8. Follow Up With the Hiring Manager

So you’ve found your perfect job and applied for it. You watch over your inbox like a hawk for days and days, but nothing happens. But before you throw in the towel, it is better to send a gentle reminder to your hiring manager. It will show your hiring manager that you’re seriously interested in the opportunity, and your resume will get closer attention.

You can either call your hiring manager or follow up with an email. Wait for at least two weeks before you do a follow-up, and confirm the application deadline before you do so. Usually, hiring managers will need a few days to shortlist the exciting candidates. Keep it professional, brief, and to the point when writing a follow-up email. You don’t have to repeat your entire cover letter. The same goes for the follow-up call too.

9. Check With Your References

You know how it usually goes: You apply for a job, attend the interview, get the job, and when it comes to reference checks, you scramble to find someone at the last minute. It will save you time and energy if you find at least three references before diving into your job search. It is also wise to call or email them and ask for their permission before doing so.

Your supervisors, managers, and co-workers know you well enough to vouch for your skills, work ethic, and character traits. You can also use your mentors and professors as your reference. However, avoid listing your friends and family members as your reference–it may look unprofessional and hurt your chances of getting the job.

Find the Job You Want

Streamlining your job search with proper planning will make your job search easier and may even help you enjoy the process. You will land your dream job soon enough if you’re confident, prepared, and patient.

By Aarthi Arunkumar

Aarthi Arunkumar is a writer and photographer based in Toronto. Once upon a time, she was a software developer. After trying both corporate and creative jobs, she is now happy to be sitting at the sweet spot between art and technology.

Sourced from MUO

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How to Use Jasper to Create Your LinkedIn Personal Bio

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By Rebecca Noori

Want to write a professional bio for your LinkedIn profile? Here’s how Jasper can help you with this.

Whether you’re looking for a job, hoping to attract head-hunters, or want to network professionally, then LinkedIn is the go-to social media platform of choice for your career.

Some of your profile bio fields are simple to fill in—you already know the date you graduated from college or started at your new job. But creating a compelling and persuasive bio that makes other professionals want to connect with you is more challenging.

If you’re stumped, Jasper is an AI copywriting tool that could help you craft a winning personal statement.

What Should Be Included in Your LinkedIn Personal Bio?

Need some motivation to get started on LinkedIn? Well, if you’re looking for a job, know that 87% of recruiters regularly check out LinkedIn during the hiring process. But even better, how about the fact that 44% of LinkedIn users take home more than $75,000 per year. This is above the US national median.

If you’re ready to jump in, it might be tempting to publish some basic details about yourself quickly. But your LinkedIn personal summary shouldn’t be copied and pasted from your résumé—it needs to be unique and have plenty of personality.

This is your chance to break free from job titles or industry qualifications and write from the heart. Why do you love your career? Why are you the best at what you do? What project did you get great results with?

With a generous 2,000-character limit, your LinkedIn profile should give someone a great idea of your experience and what it would be like to work or collaborate with you. Don’t be afraid to incorporate a few non-work-related details, too, so recruiters know you’re human!

If building a LinkedIn profile sounds challenging, then it is! There’s plenty of pressure in knowing when someone googles your name, and your personal bio will usually show up within the first three search results.

But that’s precisely why you should put some effort into crafting these words and keeping your bio updated regularly.

What Is Jasper AI?

Jasper, (formerly known as Jarvis) is a GPT-3 copywriting tool built using artificial intelligence and machine learning. It writes high-converting copy for websites, blog posts, email funnels, ads, and social media posts.

Essentially, you give the software a description of what you want to create, a title idea, and any keywords you want to include. The software will quickly create text for you to use or edit as you wish. Using one of the inbuilt templates, Jasper can help you craft an eye-catching LinkedIn bio to win new clients and attract those recruiters who might be browsing your profile.

Jasper costs $29 per month for their starter package, which gives you access to 20,000 words per month and the use of 50 free templates. This increases to 50,000 words if you subscribe to their Boss mode plan for $59 per month.

To try Jasper out before investing in their software, there’s also a 10,000-word free trial available.

How to Use Jasper to Create Your Personal Bio on LinkedIn

To get started using Jasper to revamp your LinkedIn bio, head over to your profile and click to edit your About section. This is where you’ll place your finished bio.

Next, you’ll go to Jasper, open the dashboard and choose Templates > Personal Bio.

Jasper AI personal bio template

Note, there’s also an option to choose Company Bio if you want to try both.

There are three main sections within the Personal Bio template, to fill in.

Personal Information

400 characters are available here to provide basic details about yourself and your professional background. You might choose to add your current job detail, how you got into the industry, and what you love most about your profession.

Are you proud to have won an industry award or been promoted to CFO by the age of 25? Note down as much as you can in this box to give Jasper plenty to work with. Don’t forget to add those human details too.

Tone of Voice

The Jasper software completed base training at the end of 2019 and read 10% of the Internet. This means that Jasper doesn’t know about important events like Covid-19, but the software does have an excellent grasp of natural language.

Using the tone of voice feature, you can prompt Jasper on what to say and how to say it. Try experimenting with some of the following adjectives to get the tone you’re looking for:

  • Professional
  • Bold
  • Humble
  • Friendly
  • Casual

You can even go one step further by asking Jasper to imitate a specific person or character to write your LinkedIn bio. How about sounding like Oprah or Tony Robbins?

Point of View

The final information you need to feed Jasper is whether to create your LinkedIn bio in the third person or the first person.

Third-person example: “Michael Smith is a marketing executive from New York, with twenty years experience in the industry.”

First-person example: “Hi, I’m Michael Smith, a marketing executive from New York, with twenty years of experience in the industry.”

As this is a LinkedIn profile and recruiters will know you’ve created your own bio, it’s usually best to choose the first person point of view to be more personable.

Generating Your LinkedIn Bio

Once you’ve entered your details, head to the bottom of the screen and choose the number of outputs you want to generate. The default is set to 3. You’ll then hit Generate and watch Jasper get to work creating your bio.

Jarvis personal bio output

On the right-hand side of your screen, you’ll read and choose the output you like best and select Copy to Clipboard. From here, you can paste the copy straight into your LinkedIn profile as the base of your bio. Alternatively, you might wish to open the Jasper editor to continue working on the text.

Making the Most of Jasper

The best way to use Jasper to create your LinkedIn personal bio is to think of the software as a creative tool. You’ll find that Jasper isn’t flawless and may even make up random details about you. But if you’re suffering from writer’s block, it’s a useful way to develop new ideas on how to present yourself to hiring managers.

By Rebecca Noori

Rebecca has 7 years of experience as a freelance writer covering topics related to work, careers, HR, and productivity. She specializes in creating long form blog content with a human touch. You’ll also find her offering tips and support to new freelance writers who are just starting out.

More From Rebecca Noori

Sourced from MUO

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5 Effective Tips to Improve Your Written Communication

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By Chris Odogwu

Written communication is a process of exchanging information, messages, and ideas through text-based messages. Here’s how to improve it.

Do you read some messages from your colleagues that rub you the wrong way? The messages may not be insulting, but the tone is just off. You feel offended, and it reflects in how you relate to them. They probably meant no harm but used the wrong choice of words.

Written communication can go south in many ways. You have to be deliberate in improving how you communicate in writing, so your intentions aren’t misunderstood.

What Is Written Communication?

Woman Typing on Computer

Written communication is the process of sending text-based messages and instructions through letters, reports, manuals, etc.

Used to pass information across in the workplace, written communication often takes a formal approach. It’s contained in official documents that serve as evidence and point of reference.

New developments are communicated to the team in writing. When team members exhibit unruly behavior, they are issued a query through written communication and respond in the same manner.

Unlike verbal communication that can be forgotten if not recorded, written communication lasts for long, especially if it isn’t tampered with.

The Challenges of Written Communication

Woman Thinking at Work

As with other forms of communication, the goal of written communication is defeated if the recipients don’t understand the content of the message.

Written communication has several hitches that could alter the meaning of the message or the intention of the sender. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. A Lack of Clarity

Communication loses its essence when it’s complex. The choice of words used by the sender in written communication can leave the receiver confused. And since the sender isn’t available to clarify things, the confusion lingers.

If employees feel compelled to take action upon receiving complex written messages, they may end up making mistakes due to a lack of understanding of the messages.

Mistakes made at work as a result of clarity issues are a setback for the organization as time and resources are wasted.

2. Time Constraint

The most efficient workflow is one that’s constantly moving. Team members should get whatever information they need instantly and apply it to their work. But that’s not always the case with written communication.

In written communication, the sender sends the message to the receiver. Instead of getting an instant response, they have to wait until the receiver receives the message and then replies. The time spent in between can be costly in urgent situations. The damage may have already been done before the information was gathered.

3. A Lack of Flexibility

The message you sent to a colleague at work might contain inaccurate information. You might want to update the message for more clarity. But once you have already sent it, you can’t do that.

You have to write another message from scratch addressing the misinformation or including the updates that you want to pass across. Doing all that is stressful, especially when you have a pile of work on your hands.

4. Delay in Decision-Making

Making decisions in the workplace requires some level of speed. Everyone involved in the decision-making process has to be updated with the latest developments and make their inputs in a timely manner.

When the decision-making process is coordinated with written communication, the time spent on receiving, reading, and responding to message delays the decision-making process. You can enhance your group decision-making process with the right tools.

5 Ways to Improve Your Written Communication

Man Sitting and Typing on Computer

If you want to thrive in your job or career, you have to pay more attention to your written communication. And that’s because you communicate with people in writing almost every day.

Ensuring that they understand the messages you convey to them helps you to get the desired response. In light of this, let’s discuss some ways you can communicate better in writing.

1. Identify the Goal

What are you trying to achieve with the message? It’s important that you identify this at the beginning, so you can articulate your thoughts in that direction. You can get people to open and read your emails easily with effective writing.

A written message without a clear goal in mind is like a running commentary. You’ll have a full page of content without saying anything concrete. The content of your message may be misleading to the receiver if you don’t figure out your goal.

2. Step Into the Recipient’s Shoes

Written communication misses the mark if the recipient doesn’t have the necessary background information or context to understand the message they are reading. If you write to someone and mention things that they are oblivious of, they’ll be lost.

Put yourself in the reader’s shoes as you compose your message. How much do they know about the subject? Do they need background information or context?

Understanding the reader’s state of mind regarding the subject also helps you to choose the right words and tone to convey your message.

3. Jot Down Ideas

Having made a mental note to write a message, start preparing ahead for it by jotting down ideas that come to mind.

Since you can’t easily retrieve your message from the receiver to make edits or updates, jot down all your points beforehand, so you can include them in your message.

You don’t have to carry a notebook around for that purpose. A note-taking app like Simplenote makes it easier for you to jot down your ideas on your mobile devices on the go. You can access your notes remotely whenever you need them.

4. Be Clear and Simple

The most effective written communications are clear and simple. Now isn’t the time to impress your reader with big words and grammatical expressions.

There’s a tendency for you to want to come across as intelligent with the use of fancy words, but that’s counterproductive in written communication. Remember, you won’t be physically present when the reader reads the message. So, you can’t clarify things if they confuse the reader.

If you are working on a project, you can write a killer project purpose statement with effective written communication.

5. Edit Thoroughly

Reading messages with grammatical errors and typos is a turn-off. Save your recipient the trouble by editing your messages thoroughly before sending them.

Resists the urge to send written messages in a hurry. No matter how urgent it is, make time to edit it. There might be unnecessary words, expressions, and errors in the messages. Going through them one more time will help you spot them, but that won’t happen if you don’t make time for it. Apps like Grammarly are great for editing and fine-tuning your writing.

If you have a reputation for sending error-ridden messages, people will be reluctant to read your messages. They’ll allow your messages to linger until they have the mental strength to withstand the stress that reading your content causes them.

Passing Your Messages Across Effectively

The verbal interactions at work can be noisy. Written communication helps to create some quietness. Teammates can communicate in any situation without drawing attention to themselves.

Once your written communication is clear with the right tone, you can get people to do what you want without following up to clarify things. You also build a reputation for yourself as one who communicates effectively.

By Chris Odogwu

Sourced from MUO

 

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5 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid When Job Hunting

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By Maxwell Timothy

Are you getting a lot of employers visiting your LinkedIn profile, but you don’t hear from them? Avoid these LinkedIn mistakes when looking for a job.

LinkedIn is one of the largest career-focused sites on the internet. It provides a platform for job seekers to showcase their skills and get within arm’s length of recruiters in their industry.

The platform can serve as the first line of scrutiny for employers of labor to assess an individual’s suitability for a role. What recruiters see or fail to see on your LinkedIn profile can tip the odds against you if your profile isn’t in order.

Nobody wants to be in such a situation. Below are five common LinkedIn mistakes to avoid when job hunting.

1. Avoid Boring and Cliché Headlines

LinkedIn profile

Your LinkedIn headline is the first thing that gets noticed once someone visits your profile. It is also what comes up on Google and LinkedIn on-site searches. It’s like an article headline; it decides whether or not someone clicks through to read your profile.

Unfortunately, some people let LinkedIn fill up their headlines with their job titles. This is not the way to go. Your headline is a unique opportunity to sell yourself, and a job title might not do that well enough.

Instead, you have to be as descriptive in as few words as possible. Avoid clichés and boring stuff millions of other accounts are probably using.

When optimizing your LinkedIn profile, your headline should ideally:

  • Describe your primary skills.
  • Entice visitors to want to connect with you.
  • Portray you as a valuable member of society.
  • Serve as a call to action.

There’s a huge difference between a LinkedIn headline that reads “Translator at ABCD company” and another that says “Translator with Marketing expertise for Korean Market.” The first is a job title, while the second is a brilliant pitch.

Image Gallery (3 Images)

Screenshot of LinkedIn headline
Screenshot of LinkedIn headline
Screenshot of headline

To make a headline that sells:

  1. Use clear and compelling language.
  2. Use a combination of keywords that visitors would likely be looking for, e.g., “translator” and “Korean.”
  3. Be precise. No one simply wants a translator; they’ll need a translator for a specific language, e.g., a Korean translator.
  4. Offer unique value. There are probably thousands of Korean translators, but fewer with marketing skills.
  5. Be action-oriented. Use words that show you’ve put your skills to use, e.g., “translated” 30,000 pages for the UN, “created” a translation blueprint for a Fortune 500 company, etc.

2. Avoid Getting Too Personal

Surprised woman starring at her phone

It can be a bit tricky to draw a clear-cut line between your personal and professional life on social media. Even when you try to do so, the lines can be blurry. As a result, it’s hard to say with certainty what qualifies as personal content and what meets the threshold of professional content.

Always remember, before anything else, LinkedIn is a professional network. So try as much as possible to stick to professional and career-centric content. It’s easy to be roped into sharing a bit of our personal journey masqueraded as a relevant career conversation.

Sure, some recruiters might like to read a bit about how your personal journey influenced your career path. However, writing about how you took a break from work to look after your ailing grandparents starts to cross the line. Irrespective of how you want to package it, if your post highlights more about your personal struggles and less about your career, it probably shouldn’t be on LinkedIn.

However, there are a few exceptions. Recruiters might appreciate reading content about your non-work interests if it can provide them with relevant insights into your persona. For example, talking about your participation in local marathons might help your case if you’re being vetted for a job role that requires fitness. Similarly, sharing content about volunteering to lead a local charity might help exaggerate your leadership skills.

Personal content you share should ideally add a professional value that’s immediately clear to a recruiter. If you have any doubts about whether a post item meets the requirements of professional content, don’t post it.

3. Avoid Indiscriminate Connections

Linkedin networking

Having a lot of connections can help grow your LinkedIn profile and professional reputation. However, that will only happen if your connections are relevant and valuable. If you’re sending out invites solely for the numbers, you’re doing it wrong. Indiscriminately connecting with strangers on LinkedIn can hurt you in many ways.

Your LinkedIn timeline mirrors the kind of connections you have. When a recruiter lands on your profile, they’ll likely take a look at the kind of posts you interact with. This is what gives them a sense of your interests and what matters to you. If you’re connected to too many people that aren’t relevant to your industry, you’ll most likely be interacting with content that doesn’t add both face and intrinsic value to your timeline.

Also, limiting your connection to the most valuable, like-minded people within your industry can significantly increase your chances of being seen by recruiters. How?

When potential employers search for talents to hire, people within their network are prioritized on the search result pages. This includes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections in that order. This means, if you are within the network of professionals who are connected to recruiters, there’s a good chance that you’ll come up in searches whenever those recruiters search for talents.

If in doubt about the kind of people you should connect with, here’s a checklist to guide you.

  • Professionals you already know. Maybe, people you’ve worked with or are currently working with.
  • Professionals you would love to learn from. These include thought leaders or established talents within your industry.
  • People with a lot of key LinkedIn connections within your industry.
  • Prospects or people with potential within your industry.
  • Close friends or relatives with a professional value.

4. Avoid Showboating

LinkedIn user

LinkedIn is one of the best professional platforms for promoting your skills. It is the perfect place to sell yourself and lay the foundations for important career moves.

Unfortunately, a lot of users tend to tilt more towards showboating rather than showcasing their abilities. Sure, it’s sometimes tricky to differentiate between the two. However, how a potential employer sees your attempt at self-promotion hinges on a few key presentation details.

Stay modest and treat every post like an interview when promoting yourself on LinkedIn. This means:

  • Your choice of words is very important. Avoid words that overly focus on positive labels or qualifiers that overemphasize your status or achievements.
  • Acknowledge team members in team achievements; a link to their profiles in your post is a good idea.
  • Focus on the hard work involved. “I didn’t break a sweat to do that. It was very easy,” might sound arrogant. “My team worked hard to see that through” sounds more appealing.
  • Don’t belittle other people to emphasize your achievements. “Nobody in company XYZ is as good as I am at documentation” won’t elevate you; instead, your post will be seen as mean and dismissive. Avoid comparison in your LinkedIn write-ups.
  • When talking about your achievements, try to keep them within a relevant context. Always subtly present the audience with a reason for bringing up your achievement.
  • Always focus on what your audience can take away from your skills and achievement. It could be industry insights, best practices, or valuable tips. This will demonstrate your subject matter expertise and your willingness to share knowledge rather than just showing off.
  • When showcasing a successful project, try to back it up with evidence. Back up any claim you make with appropriate statistics and proof.

If a recruiter sense that you’re showing off, even with a legitimate achievement, you could be inadvertently demarketing yourself. Nonetheless, don’t let the fear of appearing as a braggart make you undervalue yourself. Instead, own your successes and be as professional as possible.

5. Avoid Highlighting Your Experience Wrongly

How you highlight your experience on LinkedIn can either diminish or emphasize your career progress. Don’t undersell yourself; pay attention to how you highlight your work experience. Here are key points to consider:

  • Your work experience isn’t limited to 9-5 jobs. Your experience at volunteer jobs, freelance gigs, and one-off contracts can add enormous value to your profile.
  • If you’ve held multiple positions at the same company, it’s good practice to list them all, especially if it highlights your career progression.
  • Always give an overview of what your job entails when listing your work experience. However, avoid words like “I was responsible for,” “my job included,” or other variations that seem like a boring list of responsibilities. Instead, use power words like grew, managed, led, piloted, or reduced. These action-oriented words better emphasize the actions you took and the value you created at your previous jobs.

Make LinkedIn Work for You

Making LinkedIn work for you boils down to a few salient details. Get it right, and LinkedIn could be a launching pad for your career success.

Do things the wrong way, and you could be hurting your career progress.

By Maxwell Timothy

Sourced from MUO

 

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How to Build a Career-Boosting Online Presence

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By Maxwell Timothy

Have you been job hunting? Check out these tips that can help you build a job-ready online presence.

If you’re serious about building a successful career in tech, your online persona is one of your most valuable assets. Key decision-makers, potential employers, and business partners that matter to you are all online. Which better place to sell yourself than where they can see you right away?

A well-crafted online presence will provide recruiters and relevant professionals within your industry with a glimpse of your skills and personality. It builds your brand, promotes you, and makes you much more attractive to the people that matter in your career.

Here’s how to build an online presence that can supercharge your tech career.

1. Set Up a Personal/Portfolio Website

You don’t have to own a tech business before setting up a website for yourself. If you’ve lived with such misconceptions, it’s time to rethink. A personal website is an indispensable asset for tech professionals who want visibility for their skills and tech career.

It’s one of your most significant assets for self-promotion. With a personal website, you can outline your skills and vision, prove your experience by showcasing work you’ve done in the past, and share projects you’re currently working on with the public.

Whenever people search for solutions to a problem your tech skills can solve, a personal website can serve as a channel to connect them to you. That’s not all; setting up a portfolio website for yourself ensures:

  • You look professional.
  • Increased credibility and authority within your tech niche.
  • Clients and recruiters will be able to find you, rather than you trying to find them.
  • A chance to show off your soft skills and personality.

With a few hundred dollars, you can hire someone to build a website for you. Or, you can do it by yourself. Thanks to free and easy-to-use website builders, you can set up a professional portfolio website through simple drag and drop operations—no coding required. Wix is an excellent website builder for building a portfolio website. Weebly is another popular option.

A personal website for a tech career should ideally include:

  • Your skills: help visitors understand what exactly you can do for them
  • A photo of you: clients and recruiters would prefer to see the face behind the words you share.
  • Current projects: Show clients that you’re still active and passionate about your technology field.
  • Videos and images: capture your potential employer’s attention much faster. It can also send clearer messages.
  • Testimonials, downloadable resume, contact information (email and phone number), social media handles, educational qualification, and relevant industry certifications.

2. Create a Personal Brand

personal branding

You’re not the only professional within your tech field. You’ll need a personal identity that separates you from the others to stand out. Your brand will help you stand out. Your brand is the first thing people think of when they talk about you in a professional setting.

To create your brand, you’ll need to:

  • Pick a niche: you can’t tie your identity to everything. To stand out in tech, you’ll need to pick a niche and stick to it. Get clear on what you want in your career and build your online presence around it. When people associate you with a niche, you amass trust and authority within that niche. If you mention the name “Neil Patel” to bloggers, the first thing that comes to their minds is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). That’s because Patel has built his personal brand around SEO. This has helped him amass so much authority and trust that most of what he says is taken as an unquestionable fact.
  • Be laser-focused on your key message, and be sure to make a lot of noise about it. Once people start thinking of you as the “SEO guy” or maybe the “iOS guy,” you’ll know your identity is beginning to stick.
  • Increase your online presence: a strong personal brand does not end with your portfolio website and a Facebook page. You need to be where the action is. Join forums and social networks that have your ideal audience. Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and even Reddit, and Quora can help supercharge your visibility in tech.
  • Stay active online: constantly interact with relevant Reddit groups, answer questions about your tech niche on Quora, post regularly about your projects on LinkedIn, and share your knowledge in YouTube videos. The more relevant audience you reach, the more awareness you create about your brand.
  • Ensure to use the same name on all your social media accounts. This is very important. This makes it easier for people to find you across different social networks, while also reinforcing your identity and niche authority.
  • Start networking: networking gets you the visibility you need to grow your professional identity. Attend tech meetups, virtual conferences, and seminars. Interact with relevant industry professionals and spread the word.

3. Power-Up Your Social Media

Illustration of social media profiles and their managament

Social media is where most of the heavy lifting for your personal identity happens in today’s digital world. It provides potential clients and employers with an up-close view of your personal and professional persona. This is why you need to be intentional about your social media presence.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn are all important. However, if you have time for only two, it should preferably be LinkedIn and Facebook. If you are building a career in tech but don’t have a LinkedIn account, stop reading right away and create an account now. You’ll find LinkedIn to be a rich resource for job seekers.

According to Kinsta, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn. In other words, 87% of people that might matter to your career are on LinkedIn. Being active on the platform brings you closer to them.

Similarly, with more than a billion people on Facebook, the social network represents a goldmine for visibility.

Below are some tips to optimize your social media for career enhancement and visibility:

  • Clean up your social media. Go through your timeline and delete post items—articles, pictures and videos—that might hurt your personal identity.
  • Follow as many relevant accounts as possible, and keep non-relevant ones to below 30%. Remember, what you do with social media is influenced to a great extent by the accounts you follow.
  • Jump on trending issues within your tech niche and share your thoughts and ideas.
  • Learn to use hashtags. They can help you keep track of trends and contribute to relevant topics.
  • Keep your followers engaged. Reply to messages and comments as soon as you can. Create polls, host mini-contests, and do giveaways if possible.
  • Initiate conversations about your tech niche and share relevant resources with your friends and followers. Giving out books, sharing important tips and how-to guides is a good way to start.
  • Avoid politically or religiously heated topics, and stay away from insults.
  • Not all social media are the same. Go online and search for courses on how to use specific social networks. Learn what works and what doesn’t.

4. Create Targeted Contents

Create targeted contents to grow on social media

The internet is powered by content. To get the visibility you crave, you’ll need to provide contents that appeal to your target audience. Therefore, it would be best to be intentional and targeted with your content strategy.

The best way to put yourself out there with your content strategy is to think about your audience before yourself. You need to make yourself a useful part of your community by being on the helping end. Share insights, ideas, and help. Research what your audience needs and serve them. However, whatever content you share must align with your end game.

  • Do you want a job in the food industry as a techie? You could design and share food-related icon sets and infographics.
  • Want opportunities in tech education? You could be noticed by running a tutorial blog.
  • Want to break into the fintech industry? You could write and share fintech articles or create free resources like cheat sheets for your followers.

The key is to be targeted in your approach to content creation. Even if your audience is limited, they’ll undoubtedly be those that matter to your career and goals.

Be Consistent and Create Value

Whatever your career direction may be, there is one sure way to get visibility online: build a brand, be consistent and provide value.

Create and share valuable content, and your audience will naturally spread the word. As long as you stay consistent, people, that matter will eventually reach out to connect with you.

By Maxwell Timothy

Sourced from MUO

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