Welcome to Build Your Brand Month, a 4-part series sponsored by Squarespace. We're covering every aspect of personal branding, so check back every Thursday in September for a new angle (or just bookmark this page—because #hacks).
There’s nothing like a networking mixer or job interview to make your stomach drop to the floor.
Chances are you know that you’re supposed to avoid posting certain things to your public social profiles. (Obviously no drunken party photos on your Instagram account when you’re job hunting.)
But actually, showing off who you are online—strategically—can take your personal brand to the next level. And that can improve your chances of finding a new job, landing new clients, or making a career transition.
87% of recruiters say that they look at an applicant’s LinkedIn profile when considering whether to call them in for an interview. And a recent Quartz article argues that Instagram might actually be "the new LinkedIn" in terms of hiring tools. Intimidating, but also a great opportunity if you play your cards right. The key is to present a unified brand across every channel. We’ve broken the process down into six steps that you can nail in one weekend.
But actually, showing off who you are online—strategically—can take your personal brand to the next level. And that can improve your chances of finding a new job, landing new clients, or making a career transition.
87% of recruiters say that they look at an applicant’s LinkedIn profile when considering whether to call them in for an interview. And a recent Quartz article argues that Instagram might actually be "the new LinkedIn" in terms of hiring tools. Intimidating, but also a great opportunity if you play your cards right. The key is to present a unified brand across every channel. We’ve broken the process down into six steps that you can nail in one weekend.
1. First Up, You Need to build a squarespace site
We’ve said this before, but we’re going to say it again. The first step to truly building a brand online is to have a home base where you can interlink to all your channels and where everyone can easily find you. You know how frustrating it is to try to find a website for a new business or restaurant you’ve heard about, only to discover they don’t have one? When you’re interested in acquiring freelance clients or you’re job searching (even passively), not having a personal website means you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to snag some attention. Need more reasons? Here are three:
- A visually designed site will instantly elevate your professional vibe
- It allows you to curate examples of your past work to your advantage
- For people considering changing careers, it helps you focus on what you’d like to do next, not what you’re currently doing
So start there. We covered the process of setting up a portfolio site in-depth if you need some direction. You can use the personal pitch you wrote last week as a jumping off point for your About page. Squarespace sites are plug and play so you can get started quickly (use the code CONTESSA for 10% off your site.)
Additional Tips
- Spellcheck before going live. This goes for every step of this process. If you’re not a good writer, consider asking someone who is to help you out. There’s also a great app called Grammarly that will help you catch errors
- If you already have a site, now is probably a good time to give yours a little refresh. Is your About page still accurate? Have you completed some new projects that you need to add to your portfolio? Have you explored some of the new templates out there to see if there's one that better fits your work and style? There might be a nice one for you to swap in
2. Next, Focus On Building a Great LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile should mirror what you include on your personal site with one distinction: your site should be highly project-based and focus on the work you want to be doing, whereas LinkedIn is where you can do a deeper dive into your formal work history (including the stuff you're no longer interested in emphasizing). If you're not sure where to start or are limited on time, definitely focus on your LinkedIn summary section. You can use the same language from your personal pitch and About page, but make sure to also include plenty of keywords to help recruiters find you. Here’s an article on LinkedIn hacks that recruiters love to get you started.
Additional Tips
- Did we say “spell check” yet?
- Now’s a great time to ask current or former colleagues to endorse your skills—especially the skills you want to use in your next job—or write you a reference. (Try one of our networking email templates to write the perfect ask)
- Make sure your LinkedIn photo is current and professional. It should typically match the photo on your personal site’s About section (if you’ve added one)
- Speaking of, make sure you add your personal site URL to your LinkedIn profile. It’s surprisingly easy to overlook
3. Check Whether Your Facebook Profile is Work Appropriate
Easiest solution? Just make your Facebook profile friends-only. Even if you have the most professional profile, you run the risk of someone posting something to your feed that’s inappropriate (borderline or otherwise). Don’t know about you, but Facebook’s privacy settings never seem to make much sense to me—I’m always wondering if I’ve appropriately turned things off. So here's a great hack: there’s a way to preview your profile as someone who doesn’t know you would see it. Take a look and make sure that you’re not sharing more than you want with the outside world.
Additional Tips
- Make sure there are no old college photos in your timeline or profile photos that you don’t want strangers to see! Stalking Facebook is a great way to check up on what your Tinder matches really look like, but it’s not ideal if you’re trying to get a job and they find a bunch of old party photos where you're not exactly looking your best.
4. Streamline Your Instagram
If you work in a more corporate field, we’d suggest that you make your Instagram private, just to be safe. But if you’re a creative of some sort, Instagram is actually a great place to show off your personal brand.
Additional Tips
- Add your personal site URL to your profile bio.
- Instagram now has a handy “archive” function. Use it to get rid of old photos from back in the day that don’t match your vibes or interests today.
- Use the same filter every time. And preferably not the ones that come built in on Instagram. Our rec? VSCO. By using the same filter every time, you’ll get a more consistent feed.
- Think about what you’re trying to get across in your bio. If you want to share something that doesn’t match that vibe, consider posting it to Instagram stories instead. That’s the place where you can and probably should have a bit more fun and get a little sloppy.
5. Use Twitter to Become an Industry Expert
Twitter is a great platform to interact with other people in your industry and share what you’ve been reading that interests you. If you have a Twitter account, make sure you’re posting frequent, smart tweets that make it clear you’re driven and interested in your work, indsutry, and world.
Additional Tips
- Make sure your grammar and spelling are on lock. Even though you’re posting instantly, it’s important to take a pause and confirm you didn’t mix up “you’re” and “your.” You never know who’s watching
- Do not post anything on here that’s too personal, obviously. But more than that: be very wary of posting to Twitter during work hours if you’re currently employed, and never say anything negative about your current company or about past companies you’ve worked with. It's not a good look, and it's more public than you think
6. Update Your Email Signature
This is an easy one, but it’s also so easy to forget. Now that you have a personal site, make sure to include it in your email signature. You may also want to include links to your LinkedIn profile and/or your Instagram if you’re a creative.
- While we’re on this subject, even though it’s not about your online brand, now is a good time to update your business card as well. We love MOO for good looking personal cards. Here’s a good tip: pick a business card color scheme that matches your personal site template—it's an easy way to keep things consistent.
7. Google Yourself
It’s not fun, but you need to know what’s out there. When I first did this, I realized I had a Twitter account I hadn’t used in years just sitting there. Better to delete entirely than have an old one sitting around.
- You’ll want to Google yourself regularly—say, every three or four months—to make sure you’re aware of what’s going on there.
- If you delete any unused accounts, it might take a few days for Google to remove them from search results. That’s normal, so don’t panic if an ugly account is still hanging around!
This article is part of our Build Your Brand Month sponsored by Squarespace. Don't forget to use our special code CONTESSA to get 10% off your Squarespace site.
