Chapter 6 Presenting the real you online

Chapter 5 focused on the topic of presenting the real you, and while on this topic it is worth dedicating a chapter to presenting the real you online. In this digital age, you cannot escape your online presence and it is just as important to keep it real online as it is in person. From your website (if you have one) to your LinkedIn profile, your online presence can have an effect on how others see you.

How you appear online is often the first impression people get of you — most people will do an online search on you before meeting with you — so it's worthwhile investing time and energy into making your online presence a real representation of you.

HOW YOU APPEAR ONLINE IS OFTEN THE FIRST impression PEOPLE GET OF YOU.

While Facebook is a hugely popular social media platform, the platform for businesspeople is LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been around longer than Facebook and is one of the most effective social media sites for professionals. Your LinkedIn page is also likely to be the main online platform you can influence when looking to ensure what people see online is the real you. If you have one, your website is another strong tool for representing you, so I cover this area briefly at the end of the chapter.

Taking advantage of LinkedIn

In this section, I outline five ways to help make your LinkedIn profile more engaging and real.

Remember first impressions count

You wouldn't go to a networking event with a mask on and, equally, you shouldn't ...

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