Almost everyone these days has a social media account. It can be a fun and easy way to stay connected with friends and family. It gives you an opportunity to have interesting conversations with people you’ve never met and provides a platform to express your opinions.
But have you ever considered how it could also be used as a tool for recruiters to profile applicants for jobs? Within work your employer may consider your public profile through social media when recruiting for promotional opportunities. If you want to be in charge of how others perceive you, you’ll need to take a few rules in to account.
Make sure your personal social media accounts are private
This one should be obvious. If you don’t want a perspective employer, your boss or colleagues to see your posts, make sure your social media accounts are private. This way, only people you approve of can see your posts.
It may be you want to use social media to connect with friends and for work. If this is the case you probably want to choose a platform for personal use, make it private, then choose other platforms to promote yourself professionally.
Keep your posts professional
On the social media platforms you want to make public, keep your posts professional. That means no posts about drinking or partying, no complaining about your job, and no posting inappropriate photos.
If you want to project a professional image you’ll need to avoid inappropriate language and posting anything that might embarrass you or someone else.
Keep your posts relevant to your target audience. Attracting the attention of people interested in your industry means thinking about the content of your posts. Building your following and coming across as a professional in your field takes time and effort. Don’t spoil those efforts by breaking the golden rules of social media etiquette.
The golden rules of social media etiquette for public and professional accounts
- Do not post angry or inflammatory comments. It doesn’t matter how passionate you are about a subject, think of how others might interpret your words before you post. What may seem to be a fair rant to you may offend others. Emotion expressed in words can easily be taken the wrong way so keep the emotion out of your posts.
- Do not post anything that is confidential or personal. Anyone can see a public profile. Its like putting sensitive information on the front page of a newspaper. Unless its something you want to shout about keep it to yourself.
- Do not post derogatory comments about others. It can sometimes feel like you’re having a casual chat, but if you care about how others perceive you never talk about private individuals in a derogatory way.
- Keep your spelling and grammar correct. This is often overlooked. Short forms for words, autocorrect and just simple spelling and grammatical mistakes can make your posts look unprofessional. If you are building a social media profile for your career you should pay attention to this.
- Be aware of the tone of your posts. Once you’ve written a post, read it and read it again before posting. Remember this is about your professional image.
Use social media for networking
If you have a professional social media profile you can use your account for networking. Many businesses now advertise vacancies via social media and depending on the platform you can find networks by industry and profession.
You can also use professional networks to learn about new trends and developments in your industry.
And finally…
Social media is a powerful tool. Stay connected with friends and family, express your thoughts and opinions, and build your professional networks. Choose your platforms and decide how you are going to use each of them. By using social media responsibly you stay in charge of how others perceive you. In the competitive world of work, that just might give you the edge.