As companies continue to handle their hiring and onboarding processes virtually, it’s never been more important to know how to build your personal brand! As more roles go remote, employers are doing more research on candidates than ever. After checking out your resume, their next stop will most likely be your social media profiles. Before committing to an interview, they’ll want to get a better feel for your background, personality, and your level of professionalism. In this sense, your personal brand is really one of your first chances to make a good first impression and position yourself as a top candidate for a given role.

If you’re in the market for a new job opportunity, you’ll need to know how to build your personal brand in order to get noticed. Here are 5 ways to get started: 

Have a clear and defined image in mind

The best way to start perfecting your online brand is by having a clear picture of how you want to portray yourself. If you’re struggling to get started, think about what companies are looking for in their potential employees. For example, are they looking for professionals with a deep skillset who can transition into a new role seamlessly, or are they placing more emphasis on finding the right personality fit with a transferable skillset? Similarly, are they looking for someone who has a more public online presence or private? The answers to these questions may differ depending on the industry or company, so having an idea of what your target employers are looking for is a great place to start!

Keep your brand consistent

While the best and most likely platform for a potential employer to research you on is your LinkedIn page, you may have (or want to create!) other professional social media pages that will help you boost your personal brand. If this is the case, it’s critical that your image and messaging is consistent across all platforms. These pages shouldn’t necessarily be carbon copies of one another, but things like your profile picture, messaging, and other important information should be the same.

Highlight your past achievements and awards

Painting a positive picture of yourself is critical as you look to have a personal brand that will help you land interviews and ultimately secure job offers. One way to help boost your image is by placing special emphasis on your prior achievements and awards. These achievements and awards not only demonstrate past success, but they’re also indicative of what you can bring to a new company should you get hired. If you do have impressive achievements and awards to highlight, be sure to list them where they’ll get noticed. For example, it’s important to highlight your awards and achievements in the bio section of your social media profiles in addition to a section dedicated to highlighting such. Having them in a prominent spot will get a hiring manager’s attention more quickly!

Be proactive about networking

Networking is a critical part of making meaningful professional connections, but it’s also an important part of portraying a strong online brand! Not only does it demonstrate your interest in your chosen career, but things like being quick to respond to others and commenting and sharing other people’s posts can portray you and your personal brand in a positive light. While it can be intimidating, being proactive about online networking can ultimately be what helps you land the job. Read also: How To Build Virtual Business Relationships

Share insight from experts in your field

As you promote your online brand, you’ll want to share insight from experts, as well as your thoughts on what they have to say, across your online platforms. Not only does this show that you’re active and engaged online, but it also shows your commitment to staying on top of industry trends. Plus, sharing insight from industry experts can help you connect and start conversations with other professionals in your network, which can potentially help you find new leads on new job opportunities.