The following is an excerpt from BlueSteps' webinar How to Launch a Successful Executive Job Search. If you are a BlueSteps member, access your full recording here. If you are interested in becoming a BlueSteps to access our webinar archive, along with other career management solutions, learn more here.

Kathy Simmons, Executive Director, BlueSteps Career Services: Let’s talk about what online tools executives need to use in order to increase their visibility and get their personal brand out there. Tracy, would you lead us off on this one, please?

Tracy Marshall, Senior Vice President, Development Guild DDI: Sure, I'd be happy to, and I think I'm going to echo what others have said. We rely on LinkedIn a great deal these days. It's so important that candidates keep their profiles current. I believe a photograph is important and I agree that it should be a professional one and not one that your friends would love to see on Facebook. 

I think that a LinkedIn profile should be consistent with resume details and we want some details. We're looking for validation of a candidate's fit with a search and we're looking for details about their successes, skills that they have, education, membership, all of that. And I think that's important for candidates to click the open to new opportunities button so that they will be able to be reached out to. And I think all of these are meant to help recruiters find you.

And the other thing I'd say is, if you are contacted through LinkedIn, be sure to respond to that outreach even if the particular position is not of appeal, there'll be others in the future. 

Kathy Simmons: Okay. And Donna, what would you add?

Donna Sphar, CEO & Founder, CSI Executive Search: I would certainly mirror what Tracy has said. It's so important in today's business environment to have the digital presence and to communicate your brand and your value proposition efficiently, clearly, and consistently across the different platforms. I would also mention that there is a great area that people need to add to their list.

LinkedIn definitely, you cannot afford not to be on LinkedIn, but also BlueSteps, the AESC database for leadership candidates. That's an important thing because increasingly, AESC members are utilizing that database as part of our routine in identifying potential leaders for our searches. So, if I were in your shoes and I had a good LinkedIn, I would build out a good BlueSteps one.

And I would make sure that I'm also reaching out to other relevant professional associations and keep that digital profile consistent and efficient. It could be that you are a member of, or have in your marketplace, an association such as ACG, which is the Association for Corporate Growth. It's a great business, networking organization that deals with a lot of leadership topics. I would associate with them. I would get out and use other perhaps education associations and just keep my online presence consistent, efficient and concise.