Online PresencePresented to The Exchange 18 September 2009 by Chris Bigelow

No, it’s not an existential question…What will a prospective employer find if they Google you?There are almost no unique names: I have found Chris Bigelow the volleyball player, the librarian, the company CEO, etc.Do you even show up in the first page or two of results?It is in your best interest to create and control your online image – both as an individual or as a businessCreated by Chris Bigelow2Who Am I?

Up to a point, “Yes!”While you can’t delete the other “Chris Bigelows”, or get rid of less than flattering posts about you (you don’t have any of these, do you?), you can bury them in new professional linksPrior to mid-February I was lucky to find one entry about me in the first 6-10 pages of Google results; this morning I checked and I appeared 3 times on the first page and 3 times on the second page of resultsCreated by Chris Bigelow3Can I Control Google Results?

Since February I have created accounts or profiles at the following sites (I already had a LinkedIn account):TwitterGoogle ProfileWordPressVisualCVBox.netFacebookThe Social Media Club of Rochester, NYPing.fm and PingFireCreated by Chris Bigelow4How?

I have been using LinkedIn for about 1-1/2 years now. Some thoughts:Complete your profile (100%)Include personal messages with connection requests and repliesDownload the browser (http://tinyurl.com/6lgy7k) toolbar; it shows who you know at a companyJoin groups and actively participate in at least a fewDon’t miss the various add-in applications such as Box.net, which lets you add files to your profile. These can be documents, presentations, etc. that provide a more in depth picture of who you are and what value you bring to the tableLinkedIn Tips5Created by Chris Bigelow

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I am new to Twitter as of this spring. Some suggestions:Take it slow until you learn the ropes: follow a few people that you know or who have content that interests you; pretty soon you will have followers of your ownI recommend you tweet 1-6 times per day – nobody wants to hear from you every 15 minutesMinimize tweeting what you are doing (even though that is what the prompt says) – instead tweet useful info and links (shorten links using tinyurl.com, ping.fm, etc)Change/customize your background design/theme (see http://tinyurl.com/5obsou or http://www.twitbacks.comCheck out other clients like TweetDeck, the Gmail TwitterGadget, and others with additional functionalityTwitter Tips8Created by Chris Bigelow

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Keep your marketing message and materials consistentIf you have a tag line, use it in your email signature and business cards (WiseStamp example)If you are using a photo, make sure it looks professional and is well done; then use the same photo in all of your marketing materials and web presence. I use the same photo for my business card, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and my Google profileYour email signature should include your name, title, phone number(s), web addresses (web site, LinkedIn profile, Twitter profile, etc.) and tag lineUse a professional email addressMarketing Thoughts16Created by Chris Bigelow

Business Cards:www.vistaprint.com, www.dcp-print.com, or www.marketsplash.comLocal printer or print own using high quality Avery stockMarketing Plan:Various formats available – one interesting one is described at www.SpinStrategy.com and is called the Solo Sheet™Resume:Two main formats available – Chronological and FunctionalBrag Book with endorsements, results, diplomas, etc.Elevator speech & tag line:www.15secondpitch.comwww.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/www.marcusletter.com/Slogans.htmMarketing/Networking Materials17Created by Chris Bigelow

Job BoardsThere are lots of job boards on the internet. Some of the most popular include:www.indeed.comwww.simplyhired.comwww.monster.comwww.careerbuilder.comwww.dice.comwww.jobbankinfo.orgwww.usajobs.opm.govhotjobs.yahoo.comjobs4point0.comwww.linkedin.comSites like Indeed and SimplyHired are aggregators, meaning they crawl the other job sites, including company sites, and display what they find. Most offer customizable search agents that will email you matching jobs at periodic intervals. Remember to update your posted resume every one to two weeks to keep it fresh.18Created by Chris Bigelow

Ask The Headhunter® | Nick CorcodilosBonnie's BlogHannah MorganRobewanow’s WeblogThe LinkedIn Personal TrainerTom Fishburne: The Management CartoonistPersonal Branding Blog - Dan SchawbelSpin Strategy™ - Tools for Intelligent Job SearchLinked In | SuperBlogPenelope Trunk's Brazen CareeristJibberJobber BlogKaren Burns, Working GirlSecrets to A Successful Job SearchSuccess With Linked !nHell in the HallwayVideos | EmploymentDigest.netSocial Media TodayCareer Rocketeer | The Career Search and Personal Branding BlogPongo Blog | Pongo ResumeCAREEREALISM: Because EVERY Job is TemporarySome Blogs I Recommend19Created by Chris Bigelow

Thank You & Good Luck!A copy of this presentation may be downloaded from my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbigelowContact Info for Chris Bigelow:C.B.Bigelow@gmail.comhttp://www.chris-bigelow.comhttp://twitter.com/CBBigelowhttp://cbbigelow.wordpress.com/http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Bigelow/734471596