It's a competitive job market, and whether you like it or not, you simply cannot afford to neglect your online identity. Recruiter and hiring managers across the world search online to verify candidates' credentials and check their professional acumen. Building a great online image is essential for attracting the interest of employers and recruiters, and substantiating this interest with reliable backing information.

If you are out on a job hunt, and you have no "online footprint", you will hardly get noticed by people who matter. A good online policy will ensure that your name comes up positively as the first page entries whenever someone searches for it online. This can be achieved only through a aggregation of efforts – from social networking to blogging, and online research to professional engagement.

Here are a few guidelines to help you set up your online Career Brand.

Know what You (and They) Want

When you are looking for a job, be sure what what positions and companies you will be targetting. This will help you frame a message which resonates with the respective companies, and attract their interest. Never build an online brand aimlessly, by putting together bits and pieces of your work profile. Rather, target your employers by identifying their current challenges, and positioning yourself by highlighting your best-fit qualities.

The Static and the Dynamic

Your online policy should make sure that your engage regularly in producing voluminous amounts of static and dynamic content online. Your dynamic content will include all interactions you have on social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ and Twitter. The more active you are on these networks, the higher up your profiles will appear during a Google search. Write and follow blogs and contribute meaningfully on online forums and communities. You can also build a good repository of static content by writing and submitting whitepapers, designing inforgraphics, and reviewing books, softwares, etc. for online forums.

The More you Post

The more active you are online, and more the content associated with you, the higher your name will pop up in Google search. So work hard, and build more. While developing content, concentrate on pages which figure prominently on Google rankings. These will include your profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and, of course, Google+. Also maintain a blog in which you present industry-related articles. Start a portfolio website of your own as well. In short, when a recruiter searches for your name, provide him/her with a very personalized picture of your professional achievements.

Weeding out the Worms

While social media is a great tool for any job seeker, it does have its pitfalls. You should be on a constant vigil on what you post on your social network, or anywhere online. All information on the internet is indelible and will stay their for all posterity. So, make sure you Google your name regularly (at least, once a week). Take steps to remove (or get removed) any information that will shed your case in a poor light. In case you share your name with someone who has quite a saucy reputation, work extra-hard to make your online brand distinct, build more positive search results.

The Same Brand, Everywhere

Consistency is of primal importance while creating your online brand. Use the same name or handle across all channels when you are building a career brand. If you are job hunting, you can even go as far as keeping the same profile picture for your Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and your blog. This will help recruiters identify you easily and differentiate you from other similarly named professionals. Also make sure that you convey the same message through all your social channels. Find your own USP, and build a message around this fact. At the same, do not use the same information over and over again. Just use different instances from your personal and professional career to weave a consistent and interesting story which highlights your strengths!