Have you ever said to yourself “I’ll get this job out of the way so I can go and do something I want to do instead?” You have? Then let’s be honest – what quality of time and effort did you give the task and how good a job did you do? The end result of that task has your name, your personal brand stamped on it in exactly the same way that your best work has. Do everything you do, no matter how small or seemingly meaningless, to the best of your ability. That’s how really great reputations are made.

And your reputation is the one thing you take with you everywhere you go. What your friends think of you, what your enemies think of you, clients, candidates, suppliers, the list goes on.  But what about the person you contact for the first time? Let’s say you call a prospective client and the conversation goes well and you exchange contact details.... great. Now what’s the first thing he does if he is serious about using your services? That’s right, he “Googles” your name and company and pokes around a bit.

What if he found you had 12 contacts on LinkedIn.com? What if he found you weren’t on LinkedIn at all?  What if you have all of 3 live jobs on Monster.com?

Contrast that with someone who has 300 contacts on Linkedin and 45 recommendations, that they have a regular blog offering information on their industry and 165 followers on Twitter.  Which recruiter would he choose?

There’s a well known quote by Thomas Fuller that “Good clothes open all doors”. Treat the net as your wardrobe. If you don’t have enough clothes for all occasions or you wear the obviously cheap jacket, then you won’t win friends or influence people. Be seen on the most popular websites, make sure that information is up to date and sells you in the best light.  Two spelling errors on a hastily put together job board advert will tell the reader all they need to know and so, too, will having few contacts or recommendations on LinkedIn.

Check yourself out and make sure your personal brand is the one you want. www.dogpile.com and  www.zoominfo.com  are two good places to start and as a final tip (to help you look for things such as old job board postings that should be deleted) try putting in your email address into www.pipl.com.  Make sure the net is giving your personal brand the exposure it deserves.