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Transitioning Careers? 4 Ways To Strengthen Your Online Presence.

So you’re transitioning careers. Congrats! This is a great opportunity to advance yourself and learn invaluable lessons in the process. You probably feel a sense of excitement and renewal moving into this next chapter. But let’s be real, there’s also probably some negative emotions.Depending on your circumstance you might feel numb, shocked, anxiety, sadness, self-doubt or even anger. And that’s okay.

We know that many people struggle transitioning careers without any support. You might find yourself trying to process a flood of emotions detailed above at a time where everything is changing faster than ever.

To help you make the first step, here are four great ways you can kick-start a new career by beefing up your online presence, which is basically your extended resume.

98% of employers conduct background research about candidates online to know more about them – Small Biz Trends

Tip #1: Do A Social Media Cleanse – Don’t Let Those Embarrassing Photos Your Cousins Shared of You Slip Through the Cracks

Before you start developing your online presence, it’s worth checking out what a future employer sees about you now. Do a social media cleanse!

25 Minute Social Media Cleanse Checklist:

❑ Write down all the social profiles you have
❑ Go through each profile one by one (especially LinkedIn) in an incognito tab (makes you appear as an employer would see you) and spend a couple minutes scanning for:

Outdated Information
Unprofessional Photos
Does it indicate that you’re looking for an opportunity?

❑ Google Yourself – find anything strange? Take care of it.

Tip #2: Tell Your Story (And Keyword It)

Now that your social media presence is clean, you should make it a point to share your story on social media – what are you an expert in and what makes you, you?
P.S. You can prove you’re a pro without bragging. Here’s a great article on the nuances of achieving this.

Also, take this opportunity to reflect: what are you qualified to do and what are you MEANT to do?

If this question strikes a chord, we recommend watching this Ted Talk outlining the importance of self reflection in

And when you tell your story and update your bios, ensure you add some keywords! You don’t have to become an SEO wizard. For example, if you’re a creative consultant, use that phrase multiple times on your LinkedIn profile. That way when people search for “creative consultant” on LinkedIn, your profile is more likely to come up.

Tip #3: Modernize Your Resume

There’s a million different ways to do a resume, and everyone has an opinion. Don’t worry about ticking every box. Instead, just focus on clarity and consistency while avoiding the cardinal sin of resumes – being boring.

Also, don’t share your resume as an editable Google Doc. PDFs or Word Docs are best. I personally recommend PDFs since they are compatible on most devices.

Still, here are some quick tips to get you started:

-Quantify your achievements
Ex 1: I wrote blogs
Ex 2: I wrote over 2 blogs for week, which collected over 1,000 visitors per month
-Avoid generic phrases like “people person” and “hard worker”
-Keep it 1-2 pages
-Tailor it to the roles you’re interested in. Use the words the job postings use — sometimes even bots scan resumes for recruiters, and using keywords can help you pass that.

Tip #4: Volunteer Your Time & Share Value Online

Having an online presence is as much about engaging with others as it is about sharing.

Seek out virtual networking events, webinars, FB groups, etc. and start interacting with people in your industry. Don’t ask for jobs. Share value, volunteer your time and share industry knowledge. Then the opportunities will come to you.

Good luck! And Remember –

About the Author

Sarah Bloodworth

Sarah Bloodworth is a writer and sustainability & culture specialist located in Austin, Texas. She studied Journalism and Environmental Science At The University of Texas at Austin and partly at the University of Sheffield in the UK. She worked as a freelance writer for several years, eventually founding my own LLC where she helped mission-driven organisations understand and connect with their audiences through clear, impactful communications. She now works at Flex International, a global manufacturing partner dedicated to creating products that improve people’s lives and make the world a better place. Her specialties include writing/editing, research, customer relations, community-building, and data. The views Sarah expresses are her’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Flex.