Are you on the web?  I am not asking if you have Internet access, but rather whether you can be found by others who do – by others who may not even know it is you they are looking for?  Well, you should!  (and you can…)

There are a number of ways…

1. Your resume on a job board like Dice or Monster or Computer Jobs or the like.
2. Your professional profile on a social networking site such as Linked In or Plaxo.
3. Your own blog or personal website.
4. Other blogs where you share your professional insights [and link to the one of the above]

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Number 1 is basic and essential.  Yet I am surprised at the number of professionals that I come across who say “Yeah, I need to put my resume online”.  If you are one of them, just do it.  Personally, I use two job boards and get plenty of response from them.

Number 2 is fairly new in terms of online recruiting and job hunting, yet it is quickly becoming a basic expectation in many circles.  Again, I use two – Linked In and Plaxo.  I keep it very professional and don’t have a bunch of personal information like people do on FaceBook or MySpace.

Having a photograph is also important.  Put on nice clothes, comb your hair or polish your scalp, and smile a little bit.  A photo is especially important for someone like myself who is frequently hired for consulting jobs where I never meet the recruiter or hiring manager prior to showing up on site.  And as a BA or PM, clients want to make sure you are presentable.  If you don’t have a photo, sometimes a recruiter might ask you for one.  But other times they just pay more attention to the candidates they can see and feel comfortable about sending to their clients.  In fact, recently I received a req that stated,

Standard BSA requirements.
Specific project – Will work on Multiple Integration efforts, systems integrations – B2B and system interfaces.  Biztalk and Biztalk to WebMethods Integrations…..Rqts gathering, facilitation, coordination, Mapping disparate systems to work together……..Must be presentable enough to work with external paying clients.

This was for a major consulting company.  Don’t be fooled.  Appearance does matter.  And don’t confuse “appearance” with “attractiveness”.  For the most part, the photos are used in order to verify that you don’t have drool running down your chin, whether you have tattoos or piercings, and to get an idea of how you dress for the position you usually perform.  (By the way, I had a client who told me they want their graphics artists to have at least 1 tattoo).

While I did have one recruiter tell me that her boss does not like to use Linked-In, I have had a lot of recruiters comment on my Linked In profile.  Oh, and one other thought; in my resume, I have purposefully chosen to withhold the dates that I worked on particular engagements, but I do keep those dates on Linked-In.  So, whenever I get a request to update my resume with dates, I politely say “no”, and “please visit my Linked In profile to get those specific dates.”

Number 3 follows closely with Number 2 as an emerging expectation for some fields.  However, having your own website or blog, or getting one very soon, can still give you quite an edge above your competition.

Make sure it is decent and geared toward your profession or line of work.  It should be professional and depict you as the pro that you are.  Having your own domain name is best in my opinion as opposed to a subdomain or subdirectory on a blogfarm site.   But regardless of how your website address is spelled, make sure your site is working for you.  If you are like me and have multiples, then promote only the ones that enhance you in the eyes of your suitors, and don’t mention the ones where you totally cut loose.  Remember, there are two major aspects to being selected for a position.  The most commonly-though-of is “being chosen”.  But in actuality, first and most important is “not being ruled out”.

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Number 4 is a step above the fray.  Blogging regularly about topics in your field takes you from being a passive job seeker in the eyes of a recruiter or potential employer to being  a front runner.  Your intelligent and insightful posts and responses get recognition, and readers follow the link back to your website.   The first 3 forms of web presence mentioned above allow you to be found when others are looking.  But blogging actively gets others to start looking.  Of course, blog responsibly.

Chime in…

What is your web presence?

Do you use social networks to promote yourself professionally?

Do you have your own website?