According to the Indeed portal:
"An online presence is the collection of any element for a business or individual that can be found on the internet. For a company, it may include a website, social media channels and a blog. An individual's online presence could include social media profiles, listings in employer directories or achievements that have been reported online."
In other words, an online presence is a strategy that creates a picture of an individual or company in the online world. Before we start building our online identity we need to consider another factor such as industry. In short, the online presence for someone who works in a marketing company will be slightly different than for an individual who works in a tech environment. However, we have general rules which allow you to present online yourself in a professional way. In our case, we are going to analyse how to build a successful online presence for web designers & developers which attract potential employers (Read more).
The best approach is an approach based on balance. As developers or designers, we should use a mix of digital media to promote ourselves. I mean strategy where we are going to use a wide range of media channels from websites, social media to technical services like Github or Heroku. Let's see the steps which can help us build an attractive online presence.
As a quite creative and open-minded person I hate dogmatic sentence but this time I need to admit something which is not negotiable: every Web Designer/Developer need to have their own portfolio. Own portfolio is a perfect online space where potential customers or employers can see an example of our skills or work. Please feel free to read more about how to create a digital portfolio.
Although everyone can build a portfolio not everyone knows how to build a professional showreel of digital work. I like the sentence from Satori Graphics who says "Professional portfolios understand quality over quantity" and demand continuous work and upgrading. How often we should to actualizing or upgrading portfolio? According to what saying professionals should set up a monthly reminder and update content and also pashing out old projects to show you are familiar with the latest trends. In other words, after every project, the best practice is to add your work to your project page. Also, we should build a portfolio according to the last trends. For example, if the last trend saying flat design with illustration is something which attached the eye of the client considers this as a layout for your portfolio.
However in my humble opinion portfolio should be neutral as much as possible but the best situation is where projects show different styles of layout and design, like classical web pages based on images or web pages based on SVG graphics, 3D or others. There is no doubt portfolio like our projects should be adaptable for different screens such as mobile, tablet and desktop. The fluid design gives responsiveness and we don't have to worry some users won't be able to deal with web or app, etc. The next feature of any portfolio and andy digital project is accessibility and many clients think about this as something extra but in my opinion, inclusive design first approach should be a must-have in any project. Listen to what saying service designer Daniele Catalanotto:
“I try to promote to clients the idea that we should make their website accessible to everyone. Accessible to people with big or small handicaps. Often the reaction is the following:
” You know, we don’t have blind people as customers.”
My favourite answer to this comment is the following:
“Google is blind too. “[1]
Moreover, Daniel noticed one crucial thing - when you create a product that embraces design for disabilities more likely your product will be universal[2]. For example, if we are going to make an interface which can be used by a disabled person (for example who don’t have one hand), this design will be also useable my mum (who just feeding or keeping baby) and can only use one hand to deal with this interface. The same is with a person who has a temporary disability such as a broken hand etc. Therefore is good to get knowledge related to WCAG standards because this guide gives you specific details on how media or interaction should work for people with different disabilities and so on.
The best approach related to the promotion of personal brand present Gary Vaynerchuck in a book called Crushing it! Gary giving plenty of points that are actual nowadays. As the author noticed successful personal brand required the next crucial factors: intent, authenticity, passion, patience, speed, work and attention. Moreover, if we would like to create a successful online presence on social media platforms the most important is content. The best management related to social channels is to push valuable and consistent content.
I agree also with Gary about the point: digital creators take care too much about design and aesthetics than about content. From my knowledge, I know the best design, the best app, should start from content. Content is a clue to build a successful online identity because people consume content first, the aesthetics of the product is only functionality and the best design is design which user "forget about it" and focus on user expirience etc.
Nowadays everyone uses social media, and for Web Developers or Web designers Facebook, Twitter or YouTube are very handful. On the other hand, I think a quite important medium for employers is LinkedIn and personally, I use this medium to promote my professional achievements and work.
The world of Web Design and Development has a specific workflow and being proactive is something that can set you apart from the competition. By 'being proactive' I mean solving problems with other professionals. For this kind of purpose, the most useful platforms are discord, StackOverflow or GitHub. This ability shows someone interested to hire you about your skills related to solving problems as a team.
Another quite important aspect of self-promotion in space like the internet could be creating evidence you possess a variety of skills important on the job market. If employers are required to multiskilled employees just show all your skills related to a certain position. For example, if the UI Designer position required creative skills just try to present them by posting your prototypes etc.
The same approach should be taken if we would like to create a statement of technical skills. A tool such as Github is quite useful because you can share code and all developers are aware that the code they write is an integral aspect of their professional identity. Developers may now promote their work on LinkedIn by adding GitHub to a LinkedIn account which is the world's largest professional network. Another advantage of GitHub is when you create, follow, or update a GitHub project, your network will be automatically updated.
If I would be you definitely, I would start exposing your skills, character and find tools that are the best for you. Is very important to be yourself and create a complete picture of your personal online, where you show different aspects of your personality. Employers except your skills want to also know what kind of person you are, and what values are you profess therefore don't be afraid to expose yourself in the online space.
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