Its true. I looked at several of your online profiles and you appear to be nothing like yourself in person. The pictures you're using aren't very flattering––you're much more attractive in person! And the background and accomplishments you've listed make modest look a bit egocentric. If I didn't know better I'd think you were making a concerted effort to be as unimpressive as possible. In the for-what-its-worth category, I'm afraid an opportunity giver wouldn't give you a second look. You can only hope that the people looking at you online know you better than your profile would suggest. Guess what? Fat chance––casual relationships as well as complete strangers are looking and evaluating and some may have an offer you wouldn't want to miss out on... at least not on purpose! In today's world of virtual relationships, you can't afford to be modest. If you don't promote you, who will?

1. Tom McCollum is a visibility & personal brand thought leader and highly regarded auto industry innovator and CEO. Tom recently co-
founded SCORESTRONG™, a new First Impression Resource™ and Personal Brand platform.
1
I’ve Seen You Online & You Look Nothing Like Yourself
Published by Tom McCollum 2013
Its true. I looked at several of your online profiles and you appear to be nothing like
yourself in person. The pictures you're using aren't very flattering––you're much more
attractive in person! And the background and accomplishments you've listed make modest
look a bit egocentric. If I didn't know better I'd think you were making a concerted effort to
be as unimpressive as possible. In the for-what-its-worth category, I'm afraid an
opportunity giver wouldn't give you a second look. You can only hope that the people
looking at you online know you better than your profile would suggest. Guess what? Fat
chance––casual relationships as well as complete strangers are looking and evaluating and
some may have an offer you wouldn't want to miss out on... at least not on purpose! In
today's world of virtual relationships, you can't afford to be modest. If you don't promote
you, who will? Person-to-person contact continues to give way to the efficiency of online
interactions and it's become very simple, if not convenient, to access profiles on sites like
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Qnary, Brand Yourself, About Me or a host of other
platforms to learn more about you. Frankly, with search engine functionality being what it
is, you will be found and the million-dollar question is this: Will your profile merit a
second look? Whether it's a passive recruiting effort, a social opportunity or someone
simply checking you out prior to or after a meeting, the digital version of yourself might
just be the first and only chance you have to make that important first impression. It doesn't
matter if you occupy the corner office or you're a stay-at-home-mom, people are looking––
you can count on that! Maybe it's a neighbor, a supervisor, the HR department, a recruiter,
the person you're meeting with next, the person you just met with or a start-up parsing
through profiles for a particular expertise.

2. Tom McCollum is a visibility & personal brand thought leader and highly regarded auto industry innovator and CEO. Tom recently co-
founded SCORESTRONG™, a new First Impression Resource™ and Personal Brand platform.
2
Unfortunately, many people stand out in person but simply blend in online. Here's your
challenge: Can you bridge the gap between your offline persona and your online profile?
Can you properly portray a dressed up digital version of yourself? You have an expanding
virtual network of online relationships and if you don't make your personal presence a bit
stickier, you will continue to be part of that vast sea of sameness––both anonymous and
irrelevant in an online sense. In today's digital world and just a small step beyond your
immediate person-to-person sphere of influence, visibility and opportunity go hand in
hand.
Don't be unimpressive––it doesn't look good on you.