Are you actively managing your online reputation? If not, you may want to consider doing so given that organizations are increasingly using technology to locate and secure talent. Michael Fertik, emphasizes this point in “Your Future Employer Is Watching You Online. You Should Be, Too.” He explains, “The future of employment and digital reputation is likely going to be a one-way ratchet. Employment decisions are already being made based on our online reputations by people. But more and more, those decisions will be made or all-but-made by machines.”  

Professionals should be proactive in managing their online profiles and networks. Your professional profiles need to be current and use key words appropriate for the industry in which you seek to work if you want to get noticed. Your story is a critical and often underutilized aspect of online reputation management.

You can create a succinct summary of your story that you can use on LinkedIn® and Google+® and then create talking points from your story that you can use on other social networks. The key is to be consistent on all of the social media sites you use. How do you capture your story? 

Your story should help others understand what makes you unique. Your uniqueness can attract attention—attention that leads to opportunities. The events in your life, the jobs you have held and the impact you have had on the lives of others have been integral in your development. They do not describe who you are but instead connect to create a journey that is your life that has resulted in the person you have become. Your uniqueness resides in the person you are now. Sharing your story with others helps them understand how you view the world and how you developed your views. Your story can also help others understand how you can add value to their lives.

Your goal for sharing your story is to establish and strengthen relationships. This can happen if you share your history, current situation and your aspirations. Sharing in this way can help others understand how you arrived at who you are today as well as offer a glimpse into how you may act in the future. Your story should be told with a positive tone using emotion selectively. If possible, include a pivotal moment in your life and how this event influenced you.

The creation of your story enables you to develop themes, key words and talking points that you can use consistently over time to help reinforce your brand identity and build brand equity. You want others to hear your name or see your photo and instantly associate words and meaning with you.  Use the guide located here to capture your story.