For job seekers, the persuasive cover letter and germane resume have long been the way to get a foot in the door, and more recently, HR directors will go through Google to make sure nothing negative turns up. But the extent to which individuals have established a strong and compelling online presence has a great impact on who gets the interview and job. Nowadays, building a digital footprint that proves presence in a professional community and expertise in the field is important.
“The idea of curating your digital footprint is right on target because it gets to the heart of the matter, which is that this is a new aspect of our reputation that we have to work at,” says Peter Madsen of UNITE Talent Solutions.
To neglect a healthy online presence means increasingly to take a career risk. More than a third of employers say they are less likely to interview a job candidate for whom no online information can be found. For example, with 400+ million members, LinkedIn is the World’s largest and most influential online professional network.
