Although it’s not easy nowadays to find a job through traditional career hunting methods, it’s possible with networking and creativity. According to Dan Schawbel from Forbes, our online presence will replace our resumes in the near future. This calls for career seekers to keep their web presence optimized and presentable in order to increase their odds of getting employed. Here are some useful tips to help you optimize your web presence for more effective job hunting.

Stay Abreast Social Media Privacy Changes

It’s very important to keep abreast of the privacy policy changes on social networking sites, as they determine who can access your postings and profile. To increase your visibility, you need to change your privacy settings to enable your potential employers to be able to search and find your profile page easily. Make sure that what you make public, accurately portrays you the way you want.

In addition, you need to stay informed on existing bugs, and have them fixed. If not, they’ll leave you vulnerable to attacks that might expose all your private postings and photos to prospective employers. In short, this is vital for effective web presence management of your personal brand on the Internet.

Keep Your Web Presence Public

Since a significant number of employers use LinkedIn and other social network sites to search for potential candidates, it only makes sense that you have a public profile. A blocked profile not only gives an impression that you’re hiding something, but also denies you the opportunity to impress recruiters.

Expand Your Personal Web Presence

Your bio on social networks plays a great role in attracting recruiters’ attention. Note that your description will vary based on the platform you’re using. For instance, in LinkedIn, your bio should reveal your educational background, experience and expertise, as well as other career accomplishments. Try to write a summary of who you truly are, and what you can offer to potential employers. However, be mindful of the words you use, as recruiters pay special attention to particular keywords and phrases.

Ensure Your Web Presence is Consistent

Make sure the name you use is consistent across all your social network profiles. It makes you appear more professional, besides making it easier for employers to find you. In addition, check to ensure that the information you’ve put on different profiles about your employments, accomplishments, experience, and interests are similar. Once that is done, link together all your social networks. You can do so by creating profile badges for all your social media profiles, then promoting them on your blog or website.

Regularly Update Your Profile

Employers want to see your latest job descriptions and other achievements to be able to evaluate your capabilities accurately. So, make a conscious decision to update your profile on a regular basis. Be sure to do so for all your social networks to make the updates consistent.

Create an Online Portfolio

Create a portfolio showcasing your samples of your best work, certifications, volunteer services, speeches and other accomplishments, and put it up on your website on blog. This gives employers a clearer and broader picture of your competence than what your resume may reveal. Don’t forget to include links and attachments to your showcases.

Implement these tips to develop a solid web presence strategy for your social media and website properties, and increase your chances of finding your dream job.