Credibility, Trust and Respect - Online
By Martin Buckland - Executive Career Management Professional
Photo credit: © Ivelin Radkov Fotolia.com
In any capacity, credibility, trust and respect are the ultimate attributes and will most certainly be determining factors in a successful career. Earning these accolades from your colleagues, friends or partner is not something that happens overnight. Establishing these same attributes online is not so different except that when you are presenting yourself online, it is far easier to lose it all in a matter of seconds to a very large audience!
Establishing credibility within our online world is a key component of any job search especially at the senior executive level. With so many blog posts on how to establish your credibility online, I thought it might be of benefit to share examples of how easy it is to lose it. The following are only a few of the many cases I came across over the past week:
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A new organization was created online and I received an invitation to join. The invite started with, “We will try our bests to empower entrepreneurs,...” Of the four members who had joined, one had a profile with only a first name and one had a first name which did not start with a capital letter attached to a profile photo of a dog. Does this sound like a credible organization? One which should be trusted to “change their dreams to reality”?
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A financial investment site seemed to have a wealth of information. It looked very professional and I’m impressed enough to navigate to the “Nearest Account Managers to you” and I enter my postal code. Three account managers appear. The first includes a profile photo which is not a professional photo and they are in casual attire. The second individual does not have a photo at all and has a unique email address unlike the other 2 with the company name. And the third account manager does not have a profile photo. No consistency, no photos, no details; no credibility.
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An amazing organization that I personally attend includes a number of speakers and each are promoted on Facebook. The posts are professional and each name is linked to their FB profile - except one. With 1.44 billion users on Facebook sharing events, news, businesses and so much more, there is no doubt that the missing online profile leaves most questioning who this individual is. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles are a must in a digital age, as staying current influences your credibility and value to a future employer.
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A blog post was brought to my attention recently containing content created solely to discredit a company. There was no author for this post, no mention of a personal relationship regarding the slander and the video contained in the post did not exist. It was the one and only blog post and page for the site. No other information was available such as a name of the author or a company, a location or any contact data other than a link to a Twitter account. Again, no further information was available within the Twitter profile to lend any credibility to whomever or whatever was behind the tweets. Would you trust or respect anyone who would not stand behind their name?
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When recruiters search for candidates, 94% of them use social media. Any digital dirt uncovered during the selection process also affects your credibility. Read my blog to learn how to cover up your digital dirt http://aneliteresume.com/personal-branding/online-reputation-management-covering-up-your-digital-dirt/.
Wherever you are online, remember how easy it is to lose credibility, trust or respect; attributes which will always be critical to a successful career.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Martin Buckland, President of Elite Resumes, is a leading resume writer, career coach and job search strategist with a global clientele. Martin currently holds the following certifications: Certified Professional Branding Strategist, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Job and Career Transition Coach, Certified Job Search Trainer and Co-Pilot Executive Coach. Visit my website at http://aneliteresume.com/.
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