When people are considering hiring you for a job, one of their first moves is presumably to look you up online. Ideally you’ve anticipated this step of the screening process by selling yourself with an online presence that comes up prominently in a search of your name. Once you’ve got a prospective employer looking at your online footprint, you’ve got to make sure you make a good impression.

A LinkedIn Blog post suggests ways to improve your bait for prospective employers. The advice is geared toward boosting your presence on LinkedIn, but much of it applies to portfolio sites and online resumes as well:

* Summarize yourself. Highlight what makes you stand out from competitors and stay away from meaningless buzzwords.

* Say what you’re capable of. List your skills and accomplishments, backing them up with specifics rather than vague declarations.

* Make your previous jobs sound awesome. Stick to the truth, but don’t be humble. Underline your responsibilities and successes. If you’ve had jobs you’re embarrassed about and only held for short periods, leave them off as long as doing so doesn’t result in glaring gaps in your work history.

Simple steps to a complete LinkedIn Profile [LinkedIn Blog]

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