Guest Blog by Janelle Hardacre

Our guest blog this week as part of #BeMyGuest month is from Janelle Hardacre who is a final year public relations student at Newcastle University who describes herself as “…  a budding professional with a penchant for social media.” She has a very interesting blog called “Great Expectations – Musings of a Budding PR Guru”. From what we’ve seen so far, she’s certainly on the right track! Enjoy!

Your Digital Footprint – 5 Tips to Remember

As a budding PR pro on the cusp of graduation and looking to take my first step into the industry, I realised that I am already responsible for my very own client. Me.

At the moment I am having to manage my own reputation and ensure that my key messages are received by my targets audience, employers. In the age of Web 2.0 it’s vital that my digital footprint is communicating all the right messages, and setting me apart from my competitors with similar degrees and experience.

I have put together a list of things to consider before sending a tweet, changing a status or writing a blog post.

1. Now more than ever, recruiters are turning to social networking sites to check out potential employees. So it’s a good idea to set profiles such as Facebook to private and have public profiles on professional networks like LinkedIn.

2. Don’t be afraid to be you. Employers may be put off if your personality doesn’t shine through on your LinkedIn profile or blog posts. Just ensure that you steer clear of topics which may dent your reputation, like how you’re pulling yet another all nighter to finish an assignment or slagging off a former employer.

3. Google yourself. One of quickest and easiest ways employers can chuck out applications is by checking out the first page of hits for your name on Google. If you’re lucky enough to have an usual name like me, use this to your advantage. By writing a blog, being active on social networks and Twitter, and contributing to other blogs, Google becomes your online portfolio. Try typing your name in and see if you’re happy with the results. I’m afraid all you John Smith’s out there will have to work that little bit harder to get noticed on Google, so why not pick a distinctive name for your blog and keep it consistent on all your networks, that way you’ll become more ‘searchable’.

4. Use social networks to network. I’ve been amazed at how many sterling contacts I’ve made through Twitter in the past few months and how many fantastic job opportunities are tweeted every day. Don’t just discount people if they aren’t hiring though, they may be able to offer you advice and support, and by keeping up a steady flow of communication, you’ll be in mind if they to end up hiring or have been asked for recommendations.

5. Be as consistent as possible.  It doesn’t look great if your last blog post or tweet was four months ago. So try to be as active as possible online. I know this is easier said than done, particularly if like me every spare minute is being spent on dissertations and exams. But working it into your daily routine can do wonders to your online rep, you never know who could be checking out your sites.

So there’s a few things to bear in mind. Why not also check out Mashable’s post from last year for some similar tips from the perspective of the employer.

http://mashable.com/2009/04/08/social-media-recruitment/