Considering that many employers utilize the internet for a good portion of their recruitment, it may be time to boost your online visibility using digital assets rather than a traditional resume. You need to make sure that all of your online profiles present you in a way that is professional and employable. If you're looking for a new job or a change in career, take a few minutes to have a look at your online profile and make sure it's professional and gives the best first impression for prospective employers.

What Do Prospective Employers Look For Online?

The very first thing you need to do is Google yourself. If you find positive information, images and profiles - that's great. If there is anything negative, you need to institute damage control immediately. If there is nothing about you online, it's just as bad an image to present to a prospective employer. You must ensure that you have, at the very least, a LinkedIn profile and many people have a professional Google Plus profile as well. You may also want to consider a Visual CV if you're looking for an online tool to present an all-inclusive online CV or resume.

Remember that it takes some time for your profile pages to show up in search, so give yourself plenty of time to boost your online visibility.

Facebook Privacy Settings 

One of the first places that employers 'check out' is Facebook. You absolutely have to ensure that your Facebook profile is professional and that a prospective employer will not find anything untoward on your page. This applies to photos and images that you have been tagged in by friends, so go through your social media pages carefully and set your privacy levels so that your online image is professional and friendly.

You may consider this an invasion of privacy and your freedom of speech. It may seem unfair to have to temper your 'voice' on social media, but statistics show that nearly 45%s of all employers use Facebook to pre-screen applicants and they make decisions about hiring based on your activity on social media.

It really pays to spend a little time polishing up your online profiles when preparing for job interviews; it could be as important as your CV or your interview.