Creating A Personal Brand That Gets You Hired For A Tech Job

Today, having a professional online presence is as essential as a good resume to land your dream job. Just because you are not in the office all day doesn’t mean you don’t have to look professional.

Here are some tips on how to build a professional online presence for tech job hunting.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the most noteworthy job hunting and professional networking websites, so having a complete LinkedIn profile can help you receive a job interview.

When I was job hunting, I used LinkedIn as a way to search for open roles.

LinkedIn is a virtual resume. It gives recruiters an overview of your relevant work experience and skills, so if you maintain an online presence with LinkedIn, you must have a professional and comprehensive profile.

You can link your LinkedIn profile to your resume to tell recruiters that there is more professional information about you online.

Here are a few tips for building a successful LinkedIn profile.

First, you should have an up-to-date and professional-looking photo. You don’t need to spend much money on a professional headshot. You can have a friend or family member take a few pictures of you wearing something professional. This will ensure you capture a recruiter’s attention.
Second, you should always list your full name. LinkedIn is a professional networking site, so you should avoid using nicknames.
Third, list your current job title and employer. This will allow a recruiter to see where you’re currently employed and what you do.
If you have any awards or certifications, you should list them on your profile.
If you write blog posts, LinkedIn is a great place to share and link those as well.
Ensure your skills are accurate and current so recruiters with relevant open positions can contact you.
You can also ask your colleagues to recommend you on LinkedIn. Having testimonials from colleagues can improve your chances of being contacted by a recruiter.

Having an active LinkedIn presence can be a great way to land a job interview. Treat your LinkedIn profile as an extension of your resume, and you’ll be contacted by recruiters in no time.

Check out my LinkedIn profile to see how I am doing with it.

2. GitHub

GitHub is among the most popular websites for building an online presence in the tech industry. It lets you showcase your best projects, contribute to open sources, and connect with developers worldwide.

Having several projects on GitHub, which demonstrate your technical skills can improve your chances of landing a job interview.

For example, if you list C++ or Python on your resume, you may want to have a few projects on GitHub that showcase these skills.

Creating a GitHub profile with several completed projects can be time-consuming. And not everyone has the luxury of creating a comprehensive set of repositories.

Your success doesn’t depend upon having a GitHub profile. It’s simply a nice-to-have, which can convince a recruiter that you will be an excellent fit for the role.

I don't showcase much on my GitHub profile. I use it mainly for storing my C++ solutions to Leetcode challenges.

3. Personal portfolio or website

Creating a personal portfolio or website is a beautiful way to provide more information about yourself, and it can also demonstrate your technical skills. If your most vital front-end development skills are with React, you might want to build your portfolio using the Library.

Building a personal website using the technologies you’re comfortable with allows you to demonstrate the skills on your resume and gives you a place to be a bit more creative.

While resumes are meant to be professional and clean, a personal website gives you the creative license to let your imagination run wild.

Creating a personal portfolio can be time-consuming and is not required to land a job interview. I received job offers without having a personal website. They’re nice-to-haves but by no means required to be successful.

My website is more about blogging, not much about tech skills.

Conclusion

An active online presence can be a great way to land a job interview.

Though GitHub and a personal portfolio or website are nice, your LinkedIn profile should be treated as an extension of your resume, and recruiters should contact you immediately.

Thanks for reading. Check out my online presence on LinkedIn.