In addition to being a place to share information you want people to know about you, social media is still a great place to learn about opportunities for new jobs. Jobvite’s 2019 Job Seeker Nation Survey indicates that 35 percent of respondents found job postings on social media, 50 percent heard about jobs from friends and 37 percent learned about opportunities from professional networks. The numbers show how important social networking tools are to your job search.

Assess: Review your social media goals

No matter how much (or little) time you spend using social media tools to enhance your online reputation, assess what you want people to know about you? What is the most important thing for them to learn? What feeling do you want them to have? Is there something you do NOT want them to know? What do you want them to DO when they land on your profile? Take the time to audit your profiles to ensure you’re putting out the right messages.

Ask a friend or a coach what they think when they visit your social media profiles and when they look at your streams of information. Make sure you aren’t missing the mark when it comes to shaping a reputation you want to own.

Google Yourself

At least a few times a year, you should Google your own name. You want to know what comes up when people search for you online. What pictures show up? Are they of you? Is there someone who has your name and comes up before you online, even in LinkedIn? Make a note of things that show up high in search, and make a point to spend extra time making those things the best they can be. For example, LinkedIn likely comes up high in search. Manage your profile there first, before you spend time anywhere else online.)

Update Your LinkedIn Headline

When is the last time you reviewed your LinkedIn profile?  Make sure to include new accomplishments and look over your materials with fresh eyes. LinkedIn made changes that could impact your headline length — it can now be as long as 220 characters. Use the extra space to target your audience and incorporate keywords to attract people to your profile.

Be sure you keep everything consistently updated. If you update LinkedIn, be sure to also update your resume.

Audit Your LinkedIn Profile

Have you updated the image behind your LinkedIn photo? This banner makes an impression when someone lands on your profile. Make sure you customize this with something that makes sense for your expertise. You can create a visual easily by using Canva.com, a free design tool.

If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn profile in a while, you may not have set up the “Open to Work” section that asks about your business information. This is the “bat signal” to recruiters to let them know you are open to being contacted.

Edit this business information by selecting the prepopulated category that matches your expertise. Fill in business focus areas, and then select if you want that information to be public or not. If your profile is public, LinkedIn points out that anyone can see what you selected, which is the whole point of this exercise, after all!

If you choose to allow all LinkedIn members to see your choices, LinkedIn will add the open to work image to your profile picture.

LinkedIn’s “Brag Book”

LinkedIn gives you a brag book area! This “Featured” section is a place to include your best work samples, such as:

• LinkedIn posts that you’ve created or re-shared.
• Articles that you’ve authored and published on LinkedIn.
• Links to external websites, for example, your personal blog or portfolio.
• Media that you can upload, for example, your images, documents, presentations and videos.

Review Your Experience and Skills Sections

The Experience section is also critically important. This is where you list your various job titles and indicate what you have accomplished in each of your positions.

Make the most of the title sections. You have 100 characters to leverage in each job title spot!

Don’t forget to populate your skills section with 50 specially selected skills! You can also take skills tests and add them to your profile.

Audit Your Settings

No matter how much great work you do on your LinkedIn profile, if your backend settings aren’t properly set up, people will not be able to access what you have to offer and to learn about you! To review and update your backend updates, click on the dropdown right below your little photo of you on the right side of the screen on your desk or laptop.

Select Settings and privacy, and review every question! In most cases, the choice that is more “public” and less “hidden” is what you will want to select.

On the other hand, to discourage people from using your LinkedIn profile as a launching point to see other profiles, you may choose to select “NO” for “Viewers of this profile also viewed” – this is one way to help prevent people from getting distracted and jumping to other, likely similar, LinkedIn profiles once they find your profile.

One other thing to watch for under the Microsoft Word setting: you probably do NOT want to allow your job descriptions to auto-populate templates on Microsoft word resumes.

Don’t miss the “Mentions or tags by others” setting. Unless you are famous and might be inundated by tags, it is nice to allow people to mention you in a way that you are notified in their LinkedIn updates and comments.

Finally, as you scroll to the bottom of this section, you’ll see that you can block and hide. In particular, I suggest you allow EVERYONE to follow you on LinkedIn to help make your profile more visible.

When you allow people to follow you, it will make any effort you put forth to improve your profile more worthwhile, as it opens the opportunity for more people to access your content on LinkedIn and to see your updates.

Un-follow

Is your LinkedIn feed getting too spammy?  Weed out people you don’t want to hear from. In LinkedIn, you can block people (which means you won’t see their updates, and they won’t see your content, either). LinkedIn won’t notify the blocked people! (Just click on the arrow next to the endorse button on their profile.)

Change Your Password

If you have trouble keeping track of passwords, you can use a password management program such as LastPass. Also, be sure you are using your personal email for LinkedIn; it’s not a good idea to use a work email or an email you never check!

Engage

How are you engaging on LinkedIn?

Post content! LinkedIn rewards people for creating content on the network. You will be more likely to be found in a search via LinkedIn if you are active on the platform. Don’t waste this opportunity to interact with your network. Share useful posts and comment on news and informational articles. Post blogs on LinkedIn if you have news to share or wish to comment on what is going on in your industry. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ and “Share’ updates that members of your network post. This helps get you on their radar screen and can also help introduce you to people who follow them and the comments on their posts.

LinkedIn still has groups, even if they are harder to find than they were in the past. Find groups by typing keywords into LinkedIn’s search bar and selecting “groups” as the search category.

If you could use some help updating your LinkedIn profile to ensure you are well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities and that you aren’t missing out on the chance for employers to find -and hire you – check out my special offer.

The post How to Position Yourself on LinkedIn During a Pandemic appeared first on Keppie Careers.

We are a dedicated team of creative design and illustration warriors and we would like to be your one-stop marketing resource…We take your projects on like they are our own, so you can focus on doing what you love.

It was great to work with a talented artistic and technical team of people who went above and beyond expectations to create the new look. My main goal with this new landing page and site design was to incorporate targeted visuals and to make it easy for first-time visitors to learn about my services and how I can help both job seekers and business owners succeed with their goals.

Another factor in this redesign was my goal to personalize the page. When you work with Keppie Careers, you get me! I wanted to infuse the site with non-generic images that reflect what I offer, which is different from every other social media consultant, job search or business coach and resume writer.

I’ve always wanted a little less “header” and a more prominent call-to-action to invite you to “subscribe” to my updates. (If you haven’t already, please consider it! (Click on the link at the top of the page! You even get a free ebook when you subscribe.)

I’m also excited to highlight my books. This is a reminder of why it’s good to have input into your book’s cover design — someday, it will probably feature prominently on your website.

Another reason for the redesign? If I’m going to advise other small business owners about how to showcase their online brand, or their VIV-id, as Hannah Morgan and I dubbed it, it’s important that I keep my own site updated and focused on what I offer. I decided against the trend to create a never-ending scrolling site, which you may have seen lately. This choice is a lesson, too: learn about the trends, but only use the ones that work for you.

Finally – I relied on several friends and colleagues to provide feedback along the way. Thank you to all of you — you know who you are — who offered advice and ideas and who served as a wonderful “advisory board” for me.

I thought it would be fun to do a little retrospective of my past sites! Do you remember these? If you do, be sure to comment…It’s always great to connect with regular and long-time readers. And, I’ll look forward to meeting you here going forward!

My very first blog design was on WordPress.com and linked to a really basic website. After a year with that setup, I knew it was time to upgrade. (Hard to believe I’ve been blogging for just over five years this month!)

I hired an expert to help move my blog and KeppieCareers.com to one platform. I remember thinking long and hard about the images to represent my services. I chose the checkered tablecloth for the “speaker’s menu,” which was fun, but not perfect, by any means.

 

I enjoyed that first logo (notice the University of Michigan colors?), but I thought it would be great to work with a new professional to create a brand new logo to go with another redesign. We chose the blue and green and the “ripple” design indicating movement. The K on Keppie reaches beyond the blue bar to symbolize reaching beyond where you are now to achieve the next thing! I loved the checkerboard links to my services – this design eliminated a need to find pictures or visuals for those services, which was always a challenge.

The most recent design I just replaced was another upgrade. My services got their own, colorful “buttons,” but I always wanted to personalize it a bit more and to use the landing page’s space more effectively.

Clearly, since I’m on design #5 now as I end my fifth year of blogging, I like to see my webpage design as a bit of a work in progress. I’m sure to add a few tweaks here and there to the newest site, but I hope to stay with this design for a long time! I hope you like it as much as I do!

Thank you for reading my blog. It means the world to me to know that you click over to visit my page. I love when you share or retweet my links — I appreciate it so much. Please keep in touch and keep commenting!

(And, be sure to click to visit the new homepage!)

*Cubicle Ninjas specialize in: Advertising Design, Animation, Brand Creation, Graphic Design, Flash Production, Logo Design, Presentation Design, Illustration, Web Design, Motion Video Production and Sales Enablement Design

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Your boss probably doesn’t like you if:

1. You – and your work – are always late.

If you’re the employee who never finishes projects on time, or you consistently stroll into your office 30 minutes late, you aren’t winning any points with the boss — or your co-workers. If there is a certain time that you are expected at your desk, it’s disrespectful to ignore the rules and come in when it’s convenient for you. If your work is always late, you’re probably preventing your colleagues from getting their part done. These are two cardinal sins.

The fix: This is an easy one. Be on time and finish your work. Learn from your mistakes. If it takes you longer than expected to finish projects, either ask for help ahead of time, or make extra time in your schedule to get everything done. That may mean skipping those long lunches and extended coffee breaks, which aren’t winning you any points, either.

2. You take no initiative.

Especially if you’ve been in your job for a year or more, your boss expects you to know how to handle certain issues. If you come running to ask for help every time an unexpected situation arises, it’s a drain on your boss who always needs to tell you what to do next.

The fix: Learn from situations you’ve handled in the past and take the reins of your job. Instead of panicking and asking for help, make a decision and solve the problem at hand.
Of course, there’s always the flip side to any issue: If your boss is a micro-manager, he or she probably doesn’t like it if you never ask before you act. In that case, take the opposite approach: Contact your boss with the problem and suggest the solution before you take action.

3. You don’t communicate.

No boss likes an employee who never tells him anything. For example, if you had an unfortunate run-in with a client, and the boss hears about it third-hand, you are not going to be on the “nice” list. No one likes negative surprises, least of all bosses.

The fix: This is easy. Just keep your boss in the loop. Send a quick email update at appropriate intervals. Ask your boss how often he’d like a check-in email, and make a point to keep him in the loop if anything comes up that he will want to know in the interim.

4. You blame other people.

If you’d win the “pass the buck” contest at your workplace, don’t be surprised if you’re not a boss favorite.

The fix: Start to take some responsibility when things go wrong on your watch. Explain the problem and what you’ve already done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

5. You are a drama king or queen.

Given a choice, most bosses would choose to fire the employee who stirs up the most drama in the office. If that person is you, take note: Your head could be on the chopping block. Are you the first to spread a rumor? Quick to run to one colleague to share some news that’s sure to fuel discontent? Are you the first to complain or criticize when there are new policies or procedures? Do you try to rile up your colleagues to gang up against your manager? Are you creating problems where none existed? While personality traits are tough to self-assess, try to objectively evaluate your behavior. You’re probably stirring up drama outside of work, too. If a friend calls you a drama queen, take pause and ask yourself: Am I considered a troublemaker at work?

The fix: Once you identify the problem, tone it down. Stop before you share juicy gossip. Don’t complain — for once. Think about how you can improve morale in your office instead of destroying it. When you make efforts to change, it’s possible you can alter the impression people have of you, and improve your relationship with the boss.

image by aaipodpics

The post Why your boss doesn’t like you and what you can do appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Today’s post is in honor of Job Action Day, a day for all job-seekers and workers to take stock of their situations and make plans and/or take action steps to improve their careers. QuintCareers.com spearheads and runs this event every year, and I’m delighted to contribute and to suggest you visit other post about the topic. Follow #JAD2012 on Twitter for information.

Experts often disagree about exactly how important it is for job seekers and professionals to focus on the concept of what is widely known as a “personal brand.” Reach Personal Branding defines the personal brand as:

“What is authentic to you, differentiating from your peers and relevant and compelling to those who are making decisions about you…Personal Branding is the process of unearthing your unique promise of value and demonstrating that value in everything you do. Itâ€s about consistently being your best self so you achieve your goals while adding tremendous value to your team, organization and company.”

So, whatâ€s controversial? Some people believe asking people to focus on themselves and their brand is self-centered, and any “branding” they do is too ego-centric to be important for job seekers or others who seek to advance their careers.

Regardless of what you believe about the existing conversation about personal branding, one thing is certain: the job market is changing. Research continues to come out showing that the contingent – otherwise known as temporary, or contract, workforce, is growing. The Harvard Business Reviewâ€s Tammy Erikson wrote, “Temporary placement service provider Adecco predicts the growth rate for contingent workers will be three to four times the growth rate among traditional workforces, and that they eventually will make up about 25% of the global workforce.”

What does this mean for you? Even if you have a traditional job now, you may eventually find yourself in a position where your livelihood depends on your ability to market yourself as a one-person company. The writing is on the wall: the job market and career opportunities are changing – you need to change, too. If you want to secure a place as a known expert in your field – someone people will mention and refer to others – for both traditional and contract jobs, itâ€s up to you to step up and focus on what you have to offer outside the walls of your traditional office and beyond the realm of the colleagues who know you personally.

Hannah Morgan and I have been discussing personal branding as it relates to people who many need to start to re-envision themselves as entrepreneurs instead of job seekers. We even coined a new term that we believe hones in on what people engaged in personal branding really need to understand.

The term is VIV-id, which stands for Virtual Individual Verified-id.

Dictionary.com defines the word vivid:

1. strikingly bright or intense, as color, light, etc.: a vivid green.

2. full of life; lively; animated: a vivid personality.

3. presenting the appearance, freshness, spirit, etc., of life; realistic: a vivid account.

4. strong, distinct, or clearly perceptible: a vivid recollection.

5. forming distinct and striking mental images: a vivid imagination.

We thought it was a perfect launching pad for an acronym to replace the term personal brand, and to help people redefine the concept in a way that makes sense for todayâ€s reality. (Note: we’re not redefining the concept of personal branding, but we hope this new term, broken into definable parts, can help clarify the elements that go into creating a strong personal brand.)

Virtual reminds us that we no longer have the luxury to bask solely in a community of people who know us personally if we want to be competitive in this new economy. Instead, we’ll all be judged, in part, based on our online and social media activity — our virtual selves.

Individual concentrates on what is unique and special about you. You want to know yourself first and be sure the “package” you create represents you authentically as an individual. You won’t be able to represent your VIV-id without knowing yourself and engaging in some self-exploration. This piece of the acronym also reminds us that your “real” self (not only your “virtual” identity) comprises your VIV-id (your personal brand).

Verified. This is an important factor we believe many people overlook. It refers to the fact that we cannot define ourselves inside of a vacuum if we want to make effective connections with other people. In other words, you can do a lot of self-reflection and know what YOU offer, but that is only part of the equation. You must also look outside of your own needs, skills and accomplishments and understand how to market what you offer in a way that your target audience will appreciate it.

Reach’s definition captures this concept by explaining that your brand should be “relevant and compelling to those who are making decisions about you.” Hannah and I hope choosing the word “verified” (as in researched, or double-checked) as 25% of our acronym to explain the concept of personal branding will remind people to focus on this important aspect of learning to market their own skills.

My analogy for this concept of “verified” is wrapping a gift. When you focus on your VIV-id, you package yourself, and itâ€s important to consider the recipients in order to ensure they are thrilled with the offering . For example, if you are preparing a gift for a 4-year old boy, itâ€s unlikely youâ€ll use pink, frilly bows and princesses. Even if you really love pink, bows and princesses, youâ€ll think first of the little boy and what he will want; what will make the package look like it was uniquely prepared for him?

Similarly, itâ€s your job to research and investigate exactly what you offer that your target audience will appreciate. (Itâ€s going to be a little more involved than deciding a young boy likely prefers cars and trucks to frilly ribbons.) Youâ€ll need to study job descriptions, read and analyze online information from companies that interest you, comb through publications and blogs from thought leaders in your field, conduct online and in-person conversations and read whatâ€s said at your professional associations and conferences.

The Id refers to your psyche, or your unconscious. It is closely aligned to something that makes you happy, or gives you pleasure. Itâ€s an important piece of this definition, not just because it rounds out the acronym, but because, to be most successful, what you offer should be authentic (real) and something you’re excited to showcase.

Hannah and I hope re-explaining the concept of personal branding via this new acronym will help job seekers and potential entrepreneurs focus on what is really important when they market themselves. Think about your VIV-id — how can you define and package what you offer?

Learn more about Job Action Day via Quint Careers and connect to the various bloggers writing about this topic today.

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This may surprise candidates who make a habit of protecting their privacy so stringently online that a Google search reveals no results at all. Privacy is important, but someone who wants to learn something about a candidate and finds no obvious results may be inclined to search tools offering access to the “deep web,” also known as the “invisible web.” Pipl.com, one site providing access to this content, explains, “The term ‘deep web†refers to a vast repository of underlying content, such as documents in online databases that general-purpose web crawlers cannot reach. The deep web content is estimated at 500 times that of the surface web, yet has remained mostly untapped due to the limitations of traditional search engines.”

There are two types of information available online: data posted by a candidate and things someone else posts about him or her. Think of the former as a “digital footprint” and the latter as a “digital shadow.” Donâ€t let a shadow dictate what employers will find out about you.  Why? It gives control to someone else, which can be dangerous in some cases.

For example, Patrick Ambron, CEO of BrandYourself.com, shared a story about Cody, who was applying to law schools without success. It turns out, the very first result in a Google search of his name revealed a post created by an ex girlfriend containing embarrassing, unflattering comments about Cody. Since he did not have other information online to combat one personâ€s vendetta against him, admissions officers were left with questions about his character.

What can someone do to regain control of an unflattering or non-existent, online identity? Ambron suggests the following five steps:

1. Google yourself. This is crucial, because itâ€s impossible to know what could possibly negatively affect a reputation otherwise.

2. Claim your domain name and build a personal website. Owning Yourname.com and other versions of a personal URL, such as YourName.org or YourName.com will help put control of an online identity in a jobseekerâ€s hands.

3. Set up profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Ideally, capture online “handles,” or user names that include your actual name.

4. Do some basic search engine optimization. In addition to using your own name wherever possible in online monikers, Ambron reminds job seekers to be sure to “Link all your various pieces of online content to one another. 

5. Sign up for alerts. Itâ€s important to keep up-to-date on what Google indexes that could affect you. Ambron suggests setting a Google alert, which will send an email when your name  (or someone with the same name) ­appears in a news article or blog post.

Read the entire post, with all of the tips, on my U.S. News & World Report blog.

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This issue of Personal Branding Magazine (which I co-edit) focuses on attracting the affluent. If you do plan to target this demographic, be sure you have a good reason and do so with intent! Most importantly – use your strengths to help the people who need and appreciate you the most!

I found myself nodding vigorously when reading Dan Gershensonâ€s article suggesting we all use our best strengths and “use them often” (and consistently) when creating a name for ourselves. Maybe everyone is jumping on one tool or another, but youâ€re doing yourself a disservice if you get involved in something that doesnâ€t showcase your strong points. Do what youâ€re good at if you want to succeed. And, donâ€t forget – you canâ€t build a reputation without people who believe in you. Jack Humphrey explains the importance of nurturing brand evangelists; he reminds us not to do too much alone. If you are a lone wolf, you are working too hard. Who are your brandâ€s allies? Keep your eyes (and ears) out and make them your partners.

This is true if you’re a business owner, and equally valid if you are looking for a job.

As a subscriber, you will find interviews with Patti Stanger, who is Bravo TVâ€s “The Millionaire Matchmaker.” Her clientele? Strictly millionaires who donâ€t have time to date because theyâ€re too busy running their businesses. Wealthy individuals usually have higher expectations and can be difficult to attract, especially when youâ€re first starting out. This issue will explain how to go about being a brand that serves them.

Take a look at the features:

• Full paid issue (February 1st):  19 articles total
• Sample issue:  8 articles total
• Interviews with:  Patti Stanger (Bravo TVâ€s The Millionaire Matchmaker), Ali Velshi (anchor for CNNâ€s “Your Money), David Novak (CEO of Yum! Brands), Dan Roam (bestselling author) and Meg Hirschberg (Inc. Magazine columnist).
• Free sample URL: http://personalbrandingsample.com
• Paid subscription URL:  http://personalbrandingmag.com
• Facebook page: http://facebook.com/PersonalBrandingMagazine

The post Market yourself to your target audience appeared first on Keppie Careers.

“Volume 5, Issue 1 is focused on how to use your established brand to unlock new opportunities and beat your competition. Brooke Burke, featured in our cover story, is a great example of someone whoâ€s successfully leveraged her brand. Brooke has taken the success of her TV and modeling career and used it to start her own company called Baboosh Baby. Since she is a well-known brand, sheâ€s able to open doors and create new monetization opportunities. Whether youâ€re famous or just starting out, this issue will give you the tools and advice you need to create brand leverage in your industry.”

In my introduction for the magazine, I highlight the concept of using personal branding to create your own success. Social networking and brand building offers so much potential; I wanted my new book, Social Networking for Career Success, to include a bullet on the front saying, “Learn how to job search in your sleep,” because you can use your profiles and online networking to attract business prospects and jobs. In this issue, Nikolas Allen reminds readers, “One of the best results of creating a strong, coherent and positive personal brand is that, in time, opportunities start seeking you.” So true.

We all need to remember how much control we have over our career paths. In this issue, Howard Sholkin quotes Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, saying, “Opportunity can be manufactured. Yes, you can wait around for the right set of circumstances to fall into place and then leap into action, but you can also create those sets of circumstances on your own. In doing so, you manufacture your opportunities.”

I think thatâ€s a great way to think about “personal branding” – an opportunity to manufacture your own opportunities.

Features

• Full paid issue (August 1st):  22 articles
• Sample issue (July 25th): 10 articles
• Interviews with: Brooke Burke, Justin Haplern (Shit My DadSays), Jim Craig (Olympic Gold Medalist), Barbara Corcoran (ABC’s Shark Tank), Ali Brown, Adam Bryant (NY Times Columnist), and Peter Shankman (HARO).

• Free sample URL: http://personalbrandingsample.com
• Paid subscription URL:  http://personalbrandingmag.com
• Facebook page: http://facebook.com/PersonalBrandingMagazine

Take a look!

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Features:

• Full paid issue (May 1st): 25 articles total
• Sample issue: 9 articles total, including how to make a good first impression, how to manage your digital image, and wardrobe tips.
• Interviews with: Doug Conant (CEO of Campbells), Jim Quigley (CEO of Deloitte), Bob Taylor (CEO of Taylor Guitars), Sam Calagione (CEO of Dogfish Head), Brian Halligan (CEO of Hubspot), and Andy Boynton (Dean of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College).

• Free sample URL:http://personalbrandingsample.com
• Paid subscription URL: http://personalbrandingmag.com
• Facebook page:http://facebook.com/PersonalBrandingMagazine

Be sure to click through or subscribe for useful information, insights and details!

The post Personal Branding Magazine – CEO strategies appeared first on Keppie Careers.

• 75 percent of HR departments are expected to research candidates online
• 89 percent of hiring managers and recruiters review candidates’ professional online data
• 86 percent of employers believe a positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions—and nearly 50 percent say the influence is “to a great extent” and they expect it to increase

Further proving how important it is to be discoverable online is an ExecuNet Inc. research study, 2010 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report:

• 90 percent of search-firm recruiters regularly Google candidates to help draw a complete picture of that individual—up from 75 percent in 2005

If you have a common name, it may be difficult to distinguish yourself online. About 2,000 people on LinkedIn share their name with someone on the FBI’s most wanted list, says James Alexander, founder of Vizibility.com, a company that creates tools to help professionals and companies stand out on the Web.

Read the rest of the post on my U.S. News blog….

photo by dunkr

The post How to make it easier to find you online appeared first on Keppie Careers.

This is how Dan describes it:

Volume 4, Issue 3 is focused on teaching you out to become internet famous through video, sHowocial networking, and blogging. We’ve collected stories from the most well-known internet superstars to teach you how to do it too! We spoke with Julia Allison, Judson Laipply, and Mr. Chocolate rain himself, Tay Zonday. Gracing the cover is Chamillionaire, who is a Grammy award winning musician, and someone who has pioneers the use of social technologies in the music industry. I’ve always said that visibility creates opportunities, and when more people know you, the possibilities are endless!

Features:

• Full paid issue (November 1st): 22 articles
• Sample issue: 10 articles total, including how to make a good first impression, how to manage your digital image, and wardrobe tips.
• Interviews with: Chamillionaire (Grammy Award Winning Musician), Julia Allison (Co-creator of NonSociety.com), Tay Zonday (creator of the Chocolate Rain viral video), Judson Laipply (creator of the Evolution of Dance viral video), Brian Solis (author of Engage), Amy Marin (Shaquille O’Neal’s social media manager), and Brian Clark (founder of Copyblogger Media).

This is my introduction to the magazine:

Are you taking full advantage of the tools available to enhance your personal brand online? Are you achieving your business and career objectives? This issue’s columnists offer some great tips to help achieve your goals. The first thing to remember? It’s not all about you! Celestine Chua explains how important it is to be a role model. If you write, do you think about what your readers want? Are you sharing valuable information that will make people want to come back again and again? If you make your audience your #1 priority, it’s likely they will appreciate you and your value, which in turn increases your online cache.

Authenticity (as always) holds a lot of weight in this issue. Are you faking it? Michael Durwin makes an important point when he says:  There is no “virtual” you: Your online self is a direct extension of your real world self.” How should you respond? He says, “Be yourself: But try to be the best you can be — your reputation precedes you.” Rich Nadworny agrees, “If you stand for something online, you’d better act that way in real life.”

Once you identify what you offer, it’s much easier to extend your reach. Sam Decker explains that social media “is primarily about an exchange …a personal brand is best built by facilitating give and take. That might look like connecting people, retweeting or contributing to others’ ideas and projects.” Are you making that two-way connection?

One great benefit of using the social web to share information about you is the opportunity to avoid the “push and pray” method in favor of the “pull and stay” approach. Georgina Taylor’s book review notes that Scott Stratten’s book UnMarketing offers a strong case for the latter, which is about “focusing on engagement as a means of building trust, creating value for the customer by giving them a sense of support from your business.” What are you doing to engage your target audience?

Success is about so much more than just being online. In his interview with Harry McCracken, Howard Sholkin, founder of technologizer.com, explains that he attributes some of his success to going “where smart people are, rather than expecting them to come to us.” For him, that meant having a presence on Twitter and Facebook, which was key to growing his site’s traffic. Jack Humphrey echoes this sentiment, noting that “your virtual you must span your own domain and key sites around the Web where your targets hang out.”

Extend it a step further, as being where they are is an important lesson for anyone. When I coach job seekers and entrepreneurs, that is advice I offer: find “your people.” If you are lucky, they are spending time in social media, but maybe it makes more sense to physically go where they are. That may mean attending conferences or speaking engagements in person. It’s worth it.

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