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We're seeing more and more recruiters use the web as a place to search for talent and conduct employment background searches. This trend is set to increase year over year and I've been predicting that an "online presence search" will become as common as a drug test since 2007. Your online presence should consist of your own website at yourfullname.com (a domain can be purchased at GoDaddy.com using promo code FAN3). This website is the core of your online presence and if you optimize it effectively, it will rank number one for your name in major search engines such as Google. Also, your online presence should contain social network profiles, with vanity URL's, on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter at a minimum. I would also get listed on sites, such as Spokeo.com, and obtain your Google profile.
By claiming your web presence, you're protected from other people, with the same name, claiming it before you. You also gain control over how you're perceived online, and thus what employers find out about you when they conduct their search. A recent study by OfficeTeam shows that more one-third of companies feel that resumes will be replaced by profiles on social networks. My prediction is that in the next ten years, resumes will be less common, and your online presence will become what your resume is today, at all types and sizes of companies.
5 reasons why your online presence will replace your resume:
1. Social networking use is skyrocketing while email is plummeting
More and more people are using social networks to send and receive messages. About 90% of U.S. Internet users visit a social networking site each month, reports Comscore. Usage of Web-based email has fallen 8%, with the biggest decline among 12 to 17 year-olds, with an almost 60% drop. Although, you may think of this as a generational trend, the highest growing demographic on Facebook is 35+, and LinkedIn caters primarily caters to that demographic too.Employers are reviewing your profiles to see what kind of person you are outside of work, who you're connected to, and how you present yourself. Each gives clues to how well you can fit into the corporate culture. When employees don't fit in the culture, there is turnover, and it costs the organization thousands of dollars.
2. You can't find jobs traditionally anymore
In order to get a job, you have to be creative, attract jobs to your website, and network constantly. Applying to job postings, in newspapers and online, won't get you anywhere and are becoming completely ineffective. Susan Adams, of Forbes.com, shared a survey by webjob.com of recently employed job seekers found that 23% of those surveyed found their job through ads. By building your online presence, employers can find you and thus you have more opportunities. If you don't have an online presence, you won't appear to be relevant and you will be passed over for more savvy applicants that have visibility. You need to be creative in your job search by developing your own product, eBook, viral video, or personal advertisement. Finally, you need to treat your life as one giant networking event, and meet as many people in your field as you can.
3. People are managing their careers as entrepreneurs
In the career field, the term "Careerpreneur" describes a professional who manages their career like an entrepreneur, always searching for the next big opportunity. My colleague, Scott Gerber, author of "Never Get a Real Job" says it best: "you need to create a job to keep a job." A survey of 1,623 Gen Yers, conducted by Buzz Marketing Group, Scott's Young Entrepreneur Council, and presented by LegalZoom, finds that more than 35% of Gen-Y'ers have jobs have started their own businesses on the side in order to supplement their income. This shows that the younger generation understands that there's no job security and that they can build companies to offset their low wages. Another study revealed that 84% of employees plan to look for new jobs in 2011 (up from 60% a year ago). It's too easy to get laid off now, which is why you need to build your online presence before you need it, and constantly look for the new opportunity that will further your personal brand.
4. The traditional resume is now virtual and easy to build
Have you ever created your resume using Microsoft Word? I'm sure you have, but those days are quickly coming to an end. Professionals are going to start using LinkedIn's "Resume Builder" tool to turn their LinkedIn profile into a resume that they can use to submit to jobs. In this way, LinkedIn profiles can be used passively and actively in the job search process. Employers use LinkedIn as a search tool to find top talent, and job seekers use LinkedIn to leverage their network in support of their search.
5. Job seeker passion has become the deciding factor in employment
Your online presence communicates, or should communicate, what you're truly and genuinely passionate about. 83% of job seekers would rather have a job they love than a job that pays well, according to to a SimplyHired.com survey. On the other hand, I firmly believe that you won't be able to obtain and sustain a job without passion anymore. There is far too much competition and employers like to see people who are enjoying their work because they will be more productivity and help foster a stronger corporate culture. Your best bet is to develop your online presence and focus your job search around what you're passionate about instead of what will make you the most money. You will soon see that your passion will make you more money than your thirst for a higher wage!
Dan Schawbel, recognized as a "personal branding guru" by The New York Times, is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, LLC, a full-service personal branding agency. Dan is the author of Me 2.0, the founder of the Personal Branding Blog, and publisher of Personal Branding Magazine.
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