Build career brand online

Branding. It's a word the older folks among us often dislike because it conjures up annoying advertising that will get to you subliminally, making you buy a name brand when generic is just as good.

But branding is where it's at for career advancement. For those of you saying, "Bah, humbug," let me add: Your brand is the authentic you. You are simply putting out into the world the person you truly are.

What's your brand? In the Internet age, your brand is simply your online presence. In building your brand, you get to have the fun of discovering exactly what it is that makes you special and sets you apart from others competing for similar opportunities. So start by considering what you think is the one most important thing about yourself that you want others to know. Do you want to promote yourself as a great copywriter or a terrific programmer? Emphasize one skill among the many you have to build your own brand.

The key is consistency in your presentation from one venue to another, and care taken to keep nonprofessional data off the web: 95 percent of all headhunters and 90 percent of all potential employers (and that might include higher-ups or human resource people in the company where you currently work) look at your online profiles before even considering an interview.

Technically, employers are not supposed to know about your personal life, but these days, we are in the digital age, warts and all. There are plenty of horror stories out there about embarrassing Facebook pictures, personal blogs telling about drinking to excess at parties or people who flamed someone else in a LinkedIn group dialogue. And just like a jury told to "please disregard that statement," once a person knows the information, it's difficult to put it out of her mind.

Here are a couple of examples of brand builders: Jason Alba (jasonalba.com), CEO of JibberJobber.com and author of "I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???", and Alison Doyle (linkedin.com/in/alisondoyle) and her blog (alisondoyle.typepad.com). Follow their advice, and you will have built an online presence that will advance your career in no time at all. Doyle highly recommends including a photo on all your profiles and creating a video CV using a resource such as visualcv.com. There are pluses and minuses to providing the visual information, and for many people, the process is awfully intimidating.

In the meantime, here are some basic steps to take to build that online presence:

--Make sure your email is professional. Instead of jediwarrior@domain.com, consider just using your name at your Internet provider, like this: FirstnameLastname@domain.com.

--Use your real name in setting up online profiles (LinkedIn does this automatically).

--Create your public profile in standard places such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Then make sure you post it in sites that are specific to your industry or school where there are places to post it. If you are looking for a job or other career opportunities, note it there, too. (If you do not want your present employer to know you are looking for lateral advancement, this might not be advisable.)

--Link your various profiles. Add a LinkedIn or Twitter link to your Facebook account, so people can find out more about you.

--Participate in group discussions that interest you. Be careful: This can be a time sink. Just pick a few and become known as an expert or a go-to resource person. The beauty of today's social media is that interests are more easily shared across geographic boundaries. You can get to know someone in London as easily as Charleston.

--Create a personal website. Wordpress and other platforms have made this process easy for even the most technophobic among us.

--Consider starting your own blog. If you are a writer, this is a great place to shine; if you are an artist of any type, it's a great way to provide visuals showcasing your talents.

Go forth in confidence that branding is not a dirty word, and create an online presence that advances your career. Keep in mind that authenticity and consistency are the keys. Let people know who you really are, and advance your career.

Hillary Hutchinson, M.A., M.Ed., is a certified career coach who helps people manage major life and work transitions, with a specialty in academia. Contact her via her website, www.Transitioning YourLife.com.The Job Coaches are experienced volunteers from the Center for Women's Job Counseling Program. Ask them a question at 763-7333 or e-mail info@c4women.org. If you want further assistance, make a counseling appointment; a donation of $35 is requested.