Build your online professional brand. This introduction is for people new to the social media arena and gives an overview of platforms you can use to promote your 'professional self'.

1. Social Media for Your Career
Build Your Online Professional Brand
stephanieoboyle.com

2. Networking is Critical
Social networking has been part of our lives for millennia. When we meet someone
new, we seek to make connections; who we know, that they know; where they’re
from, where they work, what they do, which clan they spring from, what team they
follow, which club they’re involved with ....
Social Media is no different. It’s merely an
online tool that supports and reflects our real
lives, our personal and professional
connections.
There are a myriad of Social Networking
sites; LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+,
Pinterest, and many more besides. Here we
focus primarily on LinkedIn with some
reference to other online resources that can
support your career and business goals.
Many jobs are filled without ever having
been advertised. Employers are
increasingly using social networking sites
to attract and recruit candidates and to accept applications for
employment. So you need to be active and visible in this space!
Personal and third party referrals have always been important for business and the
self-employed. Satisfied and delighted customers are only too happy to let others
know how great you are. You need to be online and networked to capitalise on all
those recommendations.
This short guide is intended as an introduction to Building an Online Professional
Brand using some of the many available social media platforms.
If youʼd like assistance developing your online business and professional brand
weʼd be delighted to talk it over with you.
s t e p h a n i e o b o y l e . c o m

3. The Importance of Your LinkedIn Profile
Your profile is what you use to connect with people, it’s how potential employers or clients
will find you. Your LinkedIn profile can increase your visibility online and help you build
your Professional Brand. For example, if you google “Stephanie O’Boyle”, my linkedIn
profile comes up as #1 on the search find. It doesn’t in different geo-locations but that’s
for another day! So, if a potential client or employer is searching for information, I better
have the right material available at a glance!
It's important to ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete. Consider your LinkedIn profile
your online CV. While it doesn’t have to replicate exactly the same information as your CV,
be vigilant that it complements and endorses it. Prospective employers will use it to review
your credentials; employment, qualifications, experience, and skills.
If you’re self-employed, your LinkedIn profile needs to summarise what you do, the
services you offer and how, what you do, solves customer problems. Potential clients may
check you out to review you in the same way employers review potential candidates. You
are less likely to need to upload a CV but, demonstrating a history of good practice,
reliability and professional integrity will form part of your profile.
How to Use Your LinkedIn Profile as a Job Search Tool
Create a Profile. Create a detailed profile on
LinkedIn, including employment (current and
past), education and industry. Review your CV
and copy/paste the relevant information into your
profile. If currently unemployed list your current
position as "Open to opportunities." You can also
upload your CV and edit from there.
Add a Photo. A headshot is recommended (or
upload a larger photo and edit) to your LinkedIn
profile. Note that it must be a small photo - no larger than 80x80 pixels. Everyone will
see this, so choose wisely! Profiles with photos look so much better than those
without.
Professional Summary The Professional Summary of your profile is a good way to
highlight your experience. Select an Industry, because recruiters often use that field to
search. Don't forget the Headline, that's right at the top of the page when someone
views your profile. This space is especially important for freelancers, independents
and consultants.
Keywords and Skills Include all the keywords and skills from your CV in your profile. That
will make it easier for your profile to be found in search results.
s t e p h a n i e o b o y l e . c o m

4. Contact Settings let your connections (and recruiters) know what you're available for.
Options include: career opportunities, consulting offers, new ventures, job enquiries,
reference requests. Even if you're not actively seeking a new job, it's beneficial to be
flexible about your interests, because you never know when a good opportunity might
come along.
Links The links section of your
profile is a good way to provide
even more information to
potential employers and to your
contacts. Consider links to your
company or personal website and
blog.
Public Profile URL. Don't forget to make your profile public - that's how the world can
find it. Also, customizing your URL will give you a link that's easy to share. Mine, for
example, is http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieoboyle
Create a Signature. Create a LinkedIn signature to use in your email. That's another way
to increase the visibility of your profile.
Update Your Profile. Don't forget to update your profile when you change positions or
companies. Your profile should always be current and up-to-date.
Grow Your Network. Connect with other members and build your network. The more
connections you have, the more opportunities you have. However a word to the wise,
don't randomly connect with people you don't know. All that does is annoy them and
give you a bad rating on linkedIn if connect requests are being ignored! It is much better
to have a smaller group of people who know you, rather than 500+ connections, most of
whom have barely shaken your hand.
Get Recommendations. To a potential
employers and clients, a LinkedIn
recommendation is a reference in
advance.
Use LinkedIn as part of your job search
strategy - it will help expedite your job
search.
Businesses and the self-employed should use LinkedIn as part of your client search
strategy. Connect with your existing and previous clients and customers, build your
profile until it’s got quality information about you, your services or products and what you
can offer potential customers.
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5. Personal vs. Professional Branding
Is there a difference between personal and professional
branding? Maybe, maybe not! One thing is for sure, it’s
especially important in certain professions. There’s a
growing trend to improve personal branding.
When you consider the change in employment globally,
the shift in the nature and tenure of corporate jobs. For
every 100 people involved in the corporate world only
20 are considered to be ‘core’ to the company. The rest
are contractors, sub-contractors, temporary or part -
time. The idea of a ‘job for life’ is well and truly over.
It’s little wonder there’s a growing trend to improve personal branding. Investing resources
and effort in creating a professional brand, is time well spent irrespective of the area in
which you work. It is however, especially important for designers, consultants and anyone
who works as an independent, freelance provider. Potential employers and clients will look
for professional credibility. So your personal brand matters. Make sure your personal brand
reflects who are as a person. It's also worth making sure that the information available
about you online is visible, available, and relevant, to where you are in your career and,
where you want to go next.
Check Your Brand
What type of branding do you have? There's an easy way to check what image you are
showing to the world. Google your name and see what shows up.
The first places to start are in creating a strong LinkedIn Profile, Twitter Profile, and Blog;
include a link to your business or personal website, any articles you’ve written, or have
been written about you, exhibitions in which you’ve been involved etc.
About.me is a useful personal website space where you can create an
online presence and connect with others. If you’ve footage of a great
speech or presentation relevant to your profession, it’s not breaking
confidentiality and you own the rights, consider putting it on youtube. Do
you have material that’s worth sharing on slideshare?
This is the type of information you want a prospective client or employer to find. You don't
want to advertise the blast you had at the last reunion, or the ‘craic’ in your favourite bar or
club, to anyone who might be in a position to hire you, or recommend you for a job.
‘Craic’ an Irish term used to describe: .... good times, fun, enjoyment, devilment. Completely normal behaviour by the
way, but generally you don’t want a potential employer, your customers or clients to see it. Even if they were involved,
better to private message rather than broadcast!

6. Keep Your Personal Life Private
You can have personal information on the web. Just make sure that it's
only available to the people you want to see it. Be careful what you
write on your blog, other people's blogs or social networking pages.
Don't let the whole world see personal information
How to Build Your Professional Brand
Once you've made sure that your personal information is only viewable to people you want
to see it, start building your professional brand. This will serve a couple of purposes. In
addition to being information that showcases your talents for potential clients or
employers, it's also information that, if created properly, will bump the not-so-good stuff
down the list in Google. That way, any prospective customer or employer who Googles
you, should see what you want them to see, your professional branding, and not those
suspect photos from that holiday to the Greek Isles!
Professional Branding Tools
LinkedIn - Create a LinkedIn profile and start connecting. Ask and answer LinkedIn
questions to increase your visibility.
Visual CV Create a VisualCV to share with contacts and prospective employers. It’s worth
saying that I’ve never yet met an employer who actively seeks an online CV in the wide
open space, however, if you’re in the ‘design’ game it’s certainly worth considering.
Write a Blog - A well-written blog focused on your area of
expertise is another good addition to your professional branding
package.
Create a Presence - Comment on other people's blogs, write
some articles, go to industry meetings, conventions, and events,
and make contacts in your field. Be sure that all your engagements
are focused and relevant to both your skills and your career goals.
Build a Web Site - Consider a web site to create and showcase your brand. Many web
hosting services have built in web building tools and it's quick and
easy to build a site that reflects your professional presence.
Get Your Name Out There - Try to meet, either online or in-person,
the important people in your field. Send them an email or a message
via their web site or networking profile.
Volunteer - If you have time and if there's a way to volunteer in a
capacity where you can use your skills and expertise, it’s another way
to gain exposure as an expert in your career field. And, it adds to your
CV, in a meaningful way whilst giving something valuable to your local
community.
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7. A Few Last Words
Your personal brand is really a combination of the way in which you describe
yourself to others. And, when they’re talking about you, (and they do!), how they
describe you. Your personal and professional brand includes your online presence,
the content you create, the way you dress, your accent, what you drive (if you drive),
your interests, your reputation at work, and so on.
You’re way more interesting than just what you ‘do’ and your personal brand needs
to reflect this. So your online presence needs to communicate something real about
you, not something boring or flat.
Keep It Simple
Keep the language simple, no jargon. No ‘showing off’; as anyone under the age of
ten will tell you, “self praise is no praise!” Let your customers or previous employers
do the talking here!
Just tell ‘your story’. Use the first person, and write a paragraph or two that explains
where you came from and what you care about.
Skip the jargon and sound like a real person. Write about yourself without
buzzwords, without praising yourself, and without reducing yourself to a bundle of
disconnected skills and competencies.
Brand yourself as a ‘real person’ with a point of view, history and a personality.
Write your story and then refine it to a summary that anyone can relate to.
That’s your personal brand!
And Finally,
Don’t let it slide. This isn't a one shot deal. It takes time to build a solid presence
and should be an ongoing endeavour. Keep your profiles up-to-date, build and
maintain your network as you accrue experience, knowledge and skills.
Have a fruitful, enjoyable and interesting career.
s t e p h a n i e o b o y l e . c o m

8. In addition to her consulting work, Stephanie teaches
and speaks on issues that are important to
enterprises . She delivers personalised, interactive
sessions at conferences, business meet-ups and
network events.
Her involvement in education and training is online
and she can also be found in lecture theatres and
classroom with the National University of Ireland,
Galway.
Stephanie holds a Masters Degree in Business (MBA),
a Post Graduate in Marketing, Professional Diploma
in Management and a Degree in Mathematics,
Sociological and Political Studies from NUI Galway.
Her other passions include family, rugby and festival
race meetings. She’s a sudoku junkie and a keen, but
appalling, golfer!
s t e p h a n i e o b o y l e . c o m