Branding in social media. Using LinkedIn in personal brand communication: A study on communications/marketing and recruitment/human resources specialists perception

Due to the growth of Web 2.0, the fact that all the activities transcend from offline to the online environment and the control of your information is more complicated; personal branding comes into play. This study aims to investigate the importance of developing, maintaining, and promoting the professional identity on LinkedIn of a communication and marketing specialist and show their perception on which aspects are essential for hiring someone for such a position. Also, this study investigates the attitude of recruitment and human resources specialists towards the development of a personal brand on LinkedIn and the criteria used in evaluating a communication and marketing specialist. Quantitative research based on two questionnaires was used to understand the perceptions of the study participants. The results indicated that social media networks are a useful tool for developing a personal brand, but communication and marketing specialists show an average involvement. Likewise, recruiting specialists have high expectations, while communication and marketing specialists are using the same methods for self-presentation.