In an earlier post I warned about being careful of what you put on the internet that might make you  look less desirable as an employee, given that about three-quarters of all hiring managers check out potential hires on the web.

In that post I talked mostly about what not to put out there about yourself. Now I’d like to concentrate on ways to use the internet to put your best self forward. For those of you with some discomfort about the idea of marketing yourself, I want to emphasize that I am recommending telling only the truth about yourself – but concentrating on helping people “out there” to know the truth.  Think of this as a résumé and cover letter in the cloud.

The first thing to decide is what you want people to know about you. Think in terms of your aptitudes, skills, interests, accomplishments, and values.  

Let’s say you want people to know about your skills in your academic major. From any major you can write a review of a book on a website like Amazon.com. It can even be a book you read as a class assignment. Such reviews can be as short as a few sentences or can be several paragraphs. Pick something you think was a particularly good insight you had and write about it. If you have expertise in music, write a review of a CD.

A couple of tips: First, write offline and don’t post it until you are sure the review is well-written, straightforward, and concise (professionals often complain that recent graduates write in wordy academic style; so no sesquipedalian words and no long sentences!). Perhaps most importantly, be sure what you’ve written is absolutely correct. You cannot afford a single spelling or usage error. Even people who make frequent errors themselves feel comfortable dismissing someone else for making them. Second, do not post wholly negative reviews. Start with positive things and then explain what you found wanting. Always use courteous descriptions and do not personalize your criticisms. I’ve read reviews that said “This was a piece of crap. I wasted my money on it.” I don’t think I’d want to work next to the author of that.

How about your extra-academic skills and values that show themselves in your leadership and community service activities?  You probably did not do these things to get recognition, but your participation in them tells people something about you. So how do you get the word out?

Probably many of the organizations you belong to on campus have a website with a news section. Some of the organizations will have a publicity committee. Say you worked for months to develop and run your sorority’s fundraiser which ultimately raised a record amount for your charity. Write a press release telling about the event, your role in it, and name those who had significant roles in making it a success. Then ask your publicity chair to post it on the website. Send it to the campus PR office and ask them to send it out and post it on the school’s website.

All these placements will become search engine hits that not only will show your skills and values to potential employers but also will have the credibility of the third-party which posted them. It’s not your bragging; it’s news from an organization.

Consider taking pictures showing you in leadership roles or doing community service projects. Write a caption and include the pictures with the web postings. 

Even if there is something on the web about you which you wish were not there, the good things about you can help counteract it. And if it’s all good stuff – what could be better?