Who you are on the internet is sometimes who you are to the IT community (prospective employers, prospective employees, clients, customers, contractors). Creating and maintaining your web presence, not just your company’s, is a continual process. Have you met a person at a user group that you have never met before? Chances are you checked LinkedIn to get more information about them. Looking at resumes? LinkedIn, Facebook, and the current company’s website were probably used to learn more. What's more, those people are doing the same with you.
So, update your LinkedIn profile (both company and personal), and keep your Facebook account professional. Double check company website often, looking for mistakes, and potential ways to use it to make your company more relevant. Do you blog? Keep your professional and personal blogs separate (don’t advertise you are a clown for hire on the weekend on your professional profile site). Use social media to increase your reputation as a professional. The more people learn about you online, the better opportunity you have to sell yourself to prospective employers, employees, contractors, and customers.
Career Advice
When looking for a new opportunity, connect with us (ok, if not us, a reputable consulting firm, or us). We have our fingers on the pulse of the local IT community--we know the jobs, the hiring managers and the opportunities. We can point you in the right direction, give you resume help, interview tips, negotiating advice, and improve your visibility. Finding the right job for your skills and what you want in a career is a moving target. We will be happy to help you find your anchor point.