When Britannia ruled the waves, the British used to send battleships steaming up and down harbors of lesser powers as a way of ensuring that their opinions would be respected.  It was called “showing the flag.”  Usually, it spared the British the troubl e of kicking sand in the little guy’s face.

Making others aware of your presence is still an effective job-hunting and job-holding tactic, and you can use it without firing a single shot.  In fact, if you don’t have a presence, that sends signals itself, especially on the Web.

Assume that you will be Googled by any potential employer.  Maybe you’re not at a level where you have been given a major speech or written an article for your industry or firm, but you should look for opportunities to develop your presence on the Internet.  Perhaps you write something for a volunteer community organization or your church.  Maybe a distinguished mentor of yours has passed away and the Web site dedicated to him or her asks for people who have known or been influenced by this person to send a tribute that would be posted on the Web site.  As I indicated elsewhere, the Web is not an adolescent playground__a cyber “Animal House”__where you highlight goofball antics to impress your pals.  It’s serious business, and the sooner you treat it that way, the better it will serve your career.