You know... have you entered your name into the well-known Internet
Google search engine to see how many times your name appears on
the Web. To get a fairly accurate reading of how often your name appears,
place it in quotation marks in Google, e.g., "Katharine Hansen." If you
have a very common name, add some other identifying information,
such as the town you live in or your employer, e.g., "Katharine Hansen"
"DeLand, FL" "Quintessential Careers."
What does this little exercise have to do with networking? Even if you've
never Googled yourself, it's possible that an employer or recruiter has.
It's part of an emerging practice -- especially at senior and executive
levels -- to find out how visible a prospective employee is. The number
of citations or "hits" on Google is considered a reasonable gauge of
a candidate's visibility.
Networking has long been considered one of the most effective ways
to job-hunt, in part because of the old adage that it's not what you
know but who you know. But increasingly, in the Information Age,
success can spring not just from who you know -- but from who knows you.
This article explores a new type of passive networking with some very
active elements. While some may consider getting your name out there
to be a form of personal branding or horn-tooting, networking can
provide avenues for raising your visibility and building your aura as
an attractive candidate for hire. Symbiotically, elevating the world's
awareness of you creates new opportunities for networking.
Keep in mind that employers and recruiters aren't just looking for how
many times your name pops up in a Google search. They're also interested
in how positive your online image is. Thus, you need to be very careful of
how you project yourself online. The Internet is a highly public medium,
and personal information floating out there in cyberspace about your
political affiliation, religious preference, and even your family, could
unfortunately work against you. A comment that you innocently post to
an online discussion group could be viewed negatively by a prospective
employer. The advice of an anonymous contributor to a Web log is
worth heeding: "Never post anything that you wouldn't be willing to read
on the front page of the New York Times."
A New York resume writer, for example, tells the story of submitting
names of two executives to a recruiter who was unimpressed with
both candidates -- one because his name was nowhere to be found
on the Web, and the other because his published-online controversial
political views turned the recruiter off. Another career expert tells
of trying to look up an old colleague and finding only outdated
information on him on the Web. Had he ensured that his online
information was current and visible, the career guru would have
told him about a great job opportunity
Before we get into ways you can pump up your online image, try
this exercise: Take about a minute to write down what you are most
known for. In what area(s) could you offer yourself as an expert? Ideally
you are considered an expert in some area of your career or
professional life, but hobbies and interests can be fair game, too.
And that brings us to the first way to get your name out there:
Be known for your expertise. Offer yourself as an expert to
the media. Contact local, regional -- and if you're really hot stuff -- national
newspaper, magazine, and online editors to let them know you'd be willing
to be quoted on the topic(s) of your expertise. Your communication with
editors could take the form of an e-mail, phone call, letter, or even a
"media kit" with business card, resume, and list of story tips for which
you're qualified to serve as a source. I recently had a client, for example,
who unfortunately did not receive tenure from the university at which he
was a professor. He happens to be an expert on terrorism, however,
and is often called upon by the media for quotes and insights. His visibility
through this media exposure should help raise his currency as he
seeks a new job.
Be visible in professional, volunteer, and civic associations
(such as the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary). Membership in these
organizations is a great way to network, but to really get your name
out there, run for office and volunteer to serve on committees.
Speak in public. Organizations are always looking for
speakers. For most smaller, local organizations, speakers are not
paid, but they gain excellent exposure by talking about subjects of
interests to the group membership. The same topic(s) in which you
offer your expertise to the media can make fascinating fodder for
presentations that will familiarize audiences with your talents and
expertise. Your talk will likely be publicized, further enabling you to
get your name out there. Oh, and even if it's just rubber chicken,
you'll usually get a meal out of your speaking engagements. If
you're not comfortable as a public speaker, consider boosting
your confidence by joining Toastmasters, which can be a great
networking venue in itself.
Offer your services to local colleges and universities. Make
yourself available as a guest speaker for collegiate groups and clubs.
Consider applying as an adjunct instructor. Many schools welcome
professionals -- even those without terminal degrees -- to bring
their real-world business experience to the classroom.
Write articles. Just as groups seek speakers, both print
and online publications often seek writers and columnists. The pay
may be minimal or nonexistent, but having your name in print and
your expertise disseminated can be priceless. Quintessential Careers'
own Career Doctor, Dr. Randall Hansen, for example, widened his
horizons and became better known in his community when he
offered his Career Doctor column to the local newspaper, the
Daytona Beach News-Journal. Don't forget about professional,
trade, and industry publications in your field. Newsletters and magazines
published by professional organizations may be clamoring for
expertise like yours.
Contribute to online discussion groups – but watch what you say.
Speaking your mind in online groups, especially those connected with
your professional field, certainly adds to your online presence, but
don't forget the very public nature of the Internet and the possibility
that a prospective employer could read what you have to say.
Serve on advisory boards and boards of directors.
At some point in your career, you may be asked to participate on
a corporate or nonprofit board, either in a decision-making or
advisory capacity. If you're looking for a terrific networking opportunity --
as well as a way to get your name out there -- jump at the invitation
to join a board. Membership on some boards is by application
rather than invitation; check into boards associated with your local
government, for example. My county government in Volusia County,
Florida, has several dozen advisory boards open to local residents --
from the Commission on the Status to Women to the Cultural Arts
Advisory Board. Although board membership is a serious
responsibility and time commitment (boards generally meet anywhere
from quarterly to monthly), it can be a rewarding networking
opportunity because of the accompanying clout and prestige.
Board membership frequently affords you the chance to rub elbows
with some of the most powerful members of the community or
corporate world -- people you might not normally get to meet.
To maximize the opportunity, don't just sit there at meetings
and say "yea" or "nay;" get actively involved. Volunteer for committees.
The more you do for the board, the more important people you'll
be able to network with, and the better known you'll become.
The Web site BoardSeat
is a good source of board vacancies.
Consider a personal Web site with a portfolio. The foregoing
ways to get your name out there are generally indirect paths to
ensuring that your name will pop up in a Google search. For a
more direct approach, a personal Web site with portfolio is the
wave of the future. Having a portfolio presence on the Web shows
employers that you are technically savvy, open to new trends, and
poised on the cutting edge.
Consider the message you'd like to convey with your site and
portfolio. Try this exercise: Take a few minutes to identify what
your "brand" is. Think of three major trends that have spanned
your career -- ongoing patterns -- for example, you've always
been a people person. Try to convey these consistent branding
messages throughout your portfolio.
A portfolio published on the Web enables you to include links to
all kinds of items that tell more about you, your capabilities, and
provide evidence of your accomplishments (writing samples,
graphic-design samples, ad campaigns, photographs, PowerPoint
presentations, reports, graphs, charts, lists of accomplishments
and awards, executive summaries, case studies, testimonials,
project deliverables, and even multimedia items, such as video
and sound clips) that employers can access 24/7.
Be sure your Web site and portfolio look professional and avoid
un-businesslike content. There's a fine line between opening
enough of a window into your personality to intrigue a prospective
employer -- and turning a visitor off with inappropriate family
photos or off-color humor. Still, you'll often find some elements
in a Web portfolio that you wouldn't find in a typical resume --
accessible language and photos of the candidate, for example,
which facilitate a sort of virtual networking through which
employers can get to know prospective employees better.
The portfolio provides a great opportunity for the candidate
and employer to build rapport before an interview even takes
place.
Final Thoughts
Most career experts agree that a portfolio alone or the other
get-your-name-out-there activities alone may not do a lot to
boost your "Googlability," but an online portfolio plus efforts to
raise your visibility can be a potent combination.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate
publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author,
and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers,
edits QuintZine,
an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling
in the job search at A Storied
Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior
from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic
Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking
Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press),
as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her
personal Website
or reach her by e-mail at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com.
Be sure to take advantage of all the career networking tools, articles, and resources
found in our The Art of Career Networking
section of Quintessential Careers.
