Article summary: This article outlines the first step to take when you want to restart your career after a gap. It guides you on improving your online presence before reaching out to connections, clients or employers.
In today's digital age, it's important to be aware of what others see when they look you up online. This is especially true after a career gap.
Before reaching out to potential connections, clients, or future employers, it's crucial to ensure that your online presence reflects the image you want to project.
To start, log out of your Gmail account and search for your name on Google. Take a look at the first page of results and consider what impression those results would make on someone who is trying to find you.
Are there unflattering images or outdated information?
Are your social media accounts set to private or do they highlight too much of your personal life? Does it scream of the gap in your career?
If you're not impressed with what you see, don't despair. Building a positive online reputation and personal brand is a relatively easy fix. Here are a few things you can do immediately to start improving your online presence:
Do an image search for your name and delete or untag yourself from any unflattering images.
Get rid of any unused accounts like old Google+ accounts.
Change the privacy settings of your social media accounts so that your social life isn't highlighted.
Change the tagline of your social media profile to focus on your work, rather than personal information like "mother of xyz".
Edit your name if you changed it after marriage.
Add any additional qualifications you've earned that aren't mentioned online.
Claim your space by creating accounts on popular social media sites and work-related websites.
With these basics out of the way, you're ready to start building your online reputation and personal brand.
My book Back on Your Feet (4.5 stars on Goodreads) has an effective 10-step plan to revamp your LinkedIn profile to make sure it is professional and attractive to potential employers. Not just that, the book is full of practical ideas on how to re-enter the workforce after a career gap.
Back on Your Feet is available globally on Amazon.