Marketing Yourself—Your Public Image

You want to be found. And, when you are found, you want to impress. That means there are a few steps you should take as soon as possible after you rejoin the job market.

UPDATE YOUR ONLINE PROFILE—Update your online profile on LinkedIn, Plaxo or Twitter, or all of them. Anywhere you are part of a social/business network, you need to be promoting yourself. If you are not on any of these networks, get on now, but keep your content and your connections professional. Be sure to post a recent photograph (a headshot is preferable) showing you looking professional and approachable.

POST RECOMMENDATIONS—Ask your references and other colleagues to post short recommendations of your work and your work style on your online profile. Recruiters do check them, according to two HR professionals who spoke at a workshop for out-of-work D.C. professionals that I attended this spring.

MAKE AN EMAIL UPDATE—If you use AOL for email, consider using an alternate provider for your job search, such as gmail or Yahoo. Pick a professional account name, such as your own name, to use for your job search communications, especially since it will appear on your resume. The word on the street is that if you use AOL, you are probably older and not tech savvy. I’ve heard this from recruiters and seen it in multiple articles.

SPREAD THE WORD—Tell everyone you know that you are unemployed and what kind of job you are seeking. Friends, former colleagues, neighbors and family can be great resources for support and networking. Even tell the grocery store clerk or your bank manager. It’s not a time to hide your situation, especially since you are definitely not alone and, in today’s economic climate, there is no shame in being on the job market because of a layoff.

My online profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiarosso