Google is the first page of your resume; 7 sites every student should be present on
Gone are the days of resume covers and curriculum vitae (CV). Recruiters now spare less than six seconds to scan through your resume. If you manage to grab their attention, great! Else, everything goes inside the recycle bin.
Now, there's a new pattern evolving in the recruitment process - Google search.
Google, much like social networking sites like Facebook, is an indispensable part of our lives.
The first page of the search engine is your new identity - the new age CV for individuals. Google is what defines you and your candidature in the job market.
As a result, managing online reputation has become crucial in the job market today. What does the potential employer see when they type your name and credentials on Google?
Individual brand management on the internet is absolutely essential. Students, looking for suitable career options should 'Google search' their name and examine the results. Because that's what the employers are doing. Zero existence on Google search can create as many obstacles in your candidature as an overwhelming presence on insignificant websites.
The ideal thing to do is to mark your online presence on a couple of relevant websites. Also, manage the privacy settings, so that you can choose what the employers can see.
Below, Catch presents a list of X websites that we think every final year student or fresh graduates seeking employment should be present on:
1. LinkedIn
This website is a great tool for personal branding. Your Linkedin profile naturally comes up on the top of Google search. List out all your academical credentials - school, college, courses and subjects pursued, awards / accolades received, volunteer activity and so on. Make sure to write a good profile headline and include a couple of profile-relevant keywords. Recruiters often use keywords to narrow down profile searches. For instance, if you are an MBA with specialisation in finance, make sure to add keywords like finance, accounting and auditing, international finance, investment management and so on. Make sure, the keywords relevant to your profile.
2. Twitter
The micro-blogging site is a great way to show off some personality and yet stay professional. Instead of vying for followers, look for relevant people to follow such as influencers, trendsetters, leaders, business houses and brands.
3. Facebook
The largest social networking site with more than 1.65 billion active users, one should not underestimate the reach of Facebook. Public Facebook posts, information and photos along with information can lend credibility to a candidate's profile. It helps recruiters understand your profile and cross-check information. So, apart from connecting with friends and families, your public Facebook profile should contain just enough basic information for reference.
4. Google +
Quite like FB and Twitter, Google + profiles are thrown up during searches, making it important for students to create their accounts. Almost every recruiter, searching up a profile online is bound to stumble upon Google +. Make sure to post a few relevant stuff on the feed.
5. Quora / Reddit
Quora and Reddit are two platforms where you can display your interests and also comment on discussions. What one asks or replies on Quora, a question-answer platform, reflects a lot about your personality. Reddit on the other hand, has several sub-threads such as Redditt Jobs, Reddit Hires, which can help fresh graduates connect with recruiters.
6. Blogging sites
Blogging can be a simple but effective affair. Anyone can write or start a blog. But the trick lies in creating a niche identity for self through words. One can choose to write passionately on their favourite topics or voice out opinions or simply write on your subject-matter expertise. Try out websites like WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr.
7. Instagram & Pinterest
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Instagram, a platform for photo and video sharing, often comes up during Google search. You can choose to keep your profile private, but nonetheless, it can still show up during search that recruiters may refer to. Same goes for Pinterest. Pins reflect your choices and to some extent, your personality. Like Twitter, don't look for followers on both Instagram and Pinterest, but relevant people or brands to follow.8. Niche Website
Apart from all the above, students should also make register their presence on a niche website, specific for to their field. For instance, engineering students should be present on Github, entreprenuers on Kickstarters and so on.
Edited by Aishwarya Yerra First published: 25 July 2016, 4:37 IST
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