The true concept of “Authenticity”

The development of an “authentic” online professional profile is multi-dimensional. Most of the ideas that were shared among my peers were pretty insightful. Some details of the development of the “authenticity” aspect were discussed in specifics. While others, took a rather broad approach on the subject.

I was intrigued by some of the analogies introduced by my peers. Specifically, Sara (2014) built the concept upon a “product” on the shelves of a supermarket, while Zoe (2014) used the concept of “advertising”. These concepts triggered my curiosity upon what is truly an “authentic” profile, which makes it unique and successful. This led me to look deeper into it and I was inspired by a concept introduced by Simon Sinek (2009) on “the Golden Circle” in a talk he gave on “How great leaders inspire action”:

By adopting this concept, I was able to present the ideas in the following diagram:

“The Golden Circle” adapted from Simon Sinek (2009)

Little did we realize the importance of “starting with why”. Simon (2009) mentioned that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. Upon bringing this concept forward, I realized that “recruiters” buy the “authenticity” of your profile. This is further supported by some of the video CVs that were shared among my peers. The “authenticity” of these candidates was the main reason why they were successful.

I believe that this powerful concept puts things in a clearer perspective. Of the millions of profiles out there in the digital sphere, we realized that achieving “authenticity” is a challenge. This concept is not only evident in terms of employability, but in many different aspects as well. The whole idea of “marketing” may also be built upon this concept, as explained by Simon (2009) in the video!

References:

Lee, S.D., 2014. Personal Branding – your career insurance! Available at: http://saradanlee.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/personal-branding-your-career-insurance/comment-page-1/#comment-9 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Review, H.B., 2013. The Future of You. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-future-of-you/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

Sinek, S., 2009. TED: How great leaders inspire action. Available at: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-188800 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Sinek, S., 2014. Start With Why. Available at: https://www.startwithwhy.com [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Yee, Z., 2014. Online meets Offline. Available at: http://zoeyeeze.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/online-meets-offline/comment-page-1/#comment-13 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Comments made on:

Lee, S.D., 2014. Personal Branding – your career insurance! Available at: http://saradanlee.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/personal-branding-your-career-insurance/comment-page-1/#comment-9 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Yee, Z., 2014. Online meets Offline. Available at: http://zoeyeeze.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/online-meets-offline/comment-page-1/#comment-13 [Accessed December 4, 2014].

Embracing the blurred lines

“Authenticity” is essential in the development of our online professional profile. As we have embarked on topics such as the “Digital visitor-resident continuum” and “Multiple online identities”, the true judgment of “authenticity” is questionable. The issue of drawing the line between personal and professional is inevitable. However, we must realize that this line is getting blurry and as much as we do not want them to be, it is prominent (Forbes 2014). Rather than being cynical about this, might as well embrace it to realize the full potential of it! To achieve this, the development of an “authentic” online professional profile is imperative.

1. Personal Audit
“Why you are a complete idiot if you don’t Google yourself”. In this article, Roger Dooley (2014) discusses the psychology behind our online reputation. As more employers are currently relying on the Web to seek out talent and perform employment background search (Forbes 2011), this would be a crucial step in creating an “authentic” online professional profile.

2. Personal Branding
Upon completing the first step, there may be some things that you may not be too fond of. As we have realized by now, the control that we have over our “online identities” may be limited. This is where personal branding comes into play. Harvard Business Review (2013) reveals that branding is all about being “distinctive, predictable and meaningful”. Integration of all the social media platforms that you utilize may be the key to this. Curation of content on your social media platforms should not be disregarded. “Cleaning up” would be a much simpler term!

The growth of recruitment through social media is staggering. A study by Jobvite (2014) reveals that 73% of recruiters have hired a candidate through social media. But the real question is, what makes these people stand out?

3. “Hyperconnectivity”
Harvard Business Review (2013) reveals this “skill” as one of the three things to master in order to distinct yourself from the rest. But what exactly is “hyperconnectivity”? As defined in the article, it is the “optimization of online experience for others”. This plays a huge role in developing an “authentic” online professional profile. When a reputation is built upon “authenticity”, the credibility of the profile is increased dramatically.

I believe that the development of an “authentic” online professional profile is an iterative process. The user must be able to integrate and curate the content of his information wisely. Only then will the “authenticity” be unquestionable!

References:

Dooley, R., 2014. Why You Are a Complete Idiot If You Don’t Google Yourself. Available at: http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/google-yourself.htm [Accessed December 3, 2014].

Forbes, 2011. 5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 years. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

Forbes, 2014. Trying To Manage Millennials? Give Up And Lead Them Instead. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgebradt/2014/05/27/trying-to-manage-millennials-give-up-and-lead-them-instead/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

Jobvite, 2014. Social Recruiting Survey 2014, United States. Available at: https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf.

Review, H.B., 2013. The Future of You. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-future-of-you/ [Accessed December 3, 2014].

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