They Can’t Hire You if They Don’t Know You

Have you ever tried to find someone on the internet, only to discover that they don’t have an online presence whatsoever? It can be frustrating, and honestly, a little bit puzzling in this day and age. With our data and information constantly being collected and distributed, it’s baffling how anyone manages to remain anonymous online!

If you’re looking for a job, this is something you really need to think about. If you’ve intentionally — or unintentionally — kept your information off the internet, now is the time to consider making some changes. After all, the most important thing you can do for your career is make sure that people know you exist, and you do this by increasing your visibility.

The Harsh Truth

When I started my corporate career about a decade ago, I didn’t have much of an online presence. I would just randomly apply at various places… and hear crickets. There’s a very obvious reason this strategy didn’t work for me; I wasn’t visible to my ideal employers at all. When they went to look me up and couldn’t find anything, my resumes would go in the trash. 

It might seem harsh, but hiring managers and recruiters have so many resumes coming in and they have to move quickly. If you aren’t making it easy for them to quickly say “yes” to you, you’re likely going to end up in the “no” pile. 

Once I realized this, I got very focused on increasing my visibility. I put myself out there and grew an engaged network of leaders, mentors, and referrals. These individuals helped connect me to potential employers who would be interested in the skills, experience, and expertise that I brought to the table. My career really took off because of this shift.

Starting from Zero

So, what do you do if you are starting from zero and need to create an online presence from practically nothing? I always suggest starting with LinkedIn. This is where you are going to make the most meaningful connections for your career, so go ahead and put your energy there first.

Start by uploading a photo of yourself. LinkedIn did a study that actually found that profiles with photos receive up to 21 times more views and 36 times more messages.

If you don’t have a professional headshot you can use, ask someone to take a photo of you in front of a plain backdrop or use your phone’s self timer. Just keep it professional. Snapchat filters do have a place, but LinkedIn is NOT that place.

Next, fill in all the information you can on your profile including the headline, summary, experience, licenses and certifications, skills, and accomplishments. If you can get endorsements and recommendations from people, even better!

Finally, let people in your network know that you’re currently seeking opportunities. LinkedIn lets you do this now right at the top of your profile. Look for the box that says, “Show recruiters you’re open to work” and click on the “Get started” link to get set up.

You can even do this if you’re still employed. As long as you choose the option that says “Share with recruiters only” no one in your current network will be able to see it.

Building a Network

If you’re starting from scratch, you likely don’t have much of a network yet. Remember, it was the engaged network of leaders, mentors, and referrals that helped me so much when I was growing my career in the corporate world, and I’ve seen the same thing happen time and time again with my coaching clients.

If you already have a great network offline, take a few minutes to find and connect with them online, too. This is a great place to start. Then, take a look at who they are connected to. Perhaps you know some of the same people and you can initiate a conversation with them online and make a connection. LinkedIn will also curate a list of people you may know, so be sure to check that feed regularly to find people you want to connect with.

From there, go ahead and start conversations, either one-on-one in private messages, or publicly through your own posts or other people’s posts. The more you engage, share stories, swap information, cheer people on, and help other people out, the more you’re going to see that same energy reciprocated back to you.

Do you have questions about building an online presence for yourself? I am always happy to help! Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me directly via my contact form!