Being part of social media in this day and age is kind of a given. No matter how many times older generations tell us it’s nothing but bad news, realistically everyone is going to keep using social media.
However, social media doesn’t need to be a negative thing, as long as proper precautions are taken. When used correctly, social media can have a positive impact. Here are some tips for staying professional on social media.
Start from scratch
When I entered my first year of university, I made the decision to delete my old Facebook account and start a brand new one. I had been using the same Facebook account since I was 13-years-old, and it was taking me forever to go through and clean things out. I figured that the best way to stay professional is to make sure that everything inappropriate was removed from my account. There are many apps that make doing this easy—I used an app from the Google Chrome web store that made it easy for me to collect and archive every single photo on my account so that I wouldn’t lose everything. It was also a convenient way to cleanup my contact list.
Choose which accounts are private, and which are public
Since I post mostly private things on my Instagram and Facebook accounts, those accounts are private. I am constantly regulating who has access to those accounts. I also made my names a little different, so that I am harder to find. I still have plenty of public pages, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Clippings, though I make sure that everything on those accounts.
Do regular maintenance
Every few months or so, I go through every public profile I have and make sure everything is up-to-date. Being in journalism, I have a few public profiles that are used for networking and showing a portfolio, so I have to make sure everything stays consistent. Make sure that your privacy settings are updated every few months. Facebook is particularly notorious for changing user’s privacy settings without telling them, so make sure everything is adjusted, especially if you’ve chosen to make Facebook a platform to post more personal things. For those working in industries that involve a lot of networking (writing, journalism, marketing, communications, event planning, etc.), social media is great most of the time. Twitter is useful for networking, keeping your followers updated on your latest career endeavours, and showing off your work to high volumes of people.
LinkedIn is at the top of my current list of favourite social media sites. LinkedIn provides an opportunity to keep your portfolio and resume in one spot, but also allows you to easily connect with others in your industry. Many well-known companies, including Google, IBM, and Microsoft, post job openings on LinkedIn. The best part about applying for jobs on LinkedIn is that you have the option to apply using your LinkedIn profile, rather than attaching resumes and cover letters. If you make your LinkedIn profile detailed enough, this can be a significant tool. Now, when applying for jobs in person, many people even print their LinkedIn profile and bring it in as part of their resume.
When used properly and efficiently, social media can be one of the best tools for networking. When trying to decide what not to put on a social media feed, think about whether you would want your boss or professor to see it—it only takes a second for someone to Google your name and have everything you’ve ever posted online show up. Just be smart.