Being social media perfect doesn’t have to be difficult.
Deleting old inappropriate posts, setting your account to private, and updating your profile photo are easy steps you can take.
Your social media presence can have a huge affect on your job search prospects and you should be extra careful on what you post and what is public.
Social media has inundated us with constant posts, updates, and statuses.
We share and follow and like content by a plethora of individuals.
We’ll ‘heart’ that pregnancy announcement and will argue with someone who disagrees with us, often without a second thought.
But more-and-more, these online personas are affecting us in the real-world.
And this is even more evident in the corporate world.
These online profiles could negatively impact your search for a new opportunity or could jeopardize your current job.
We’ve heard of countless stories where a candidate, who had a perfect resume and an excellent interview, was passed over due to their online persona conflicting with the company’s overall image.
Hiring managers are looking at candidates’ online profiles.
They are scouring the web to learn more about these candidates and oftentimes declining to make an offer due to the content they found.
In this ever-connected world, candidates must take extra precautions to ensure that what they do, say, and like online stays online.
Taking these precautions will help you avoid any potential mishaps or misunderstandings in the future with an employer.
Make Your Accounts Private
The easiest, and most effective, way to avoid any possible issues with your social media posts is to simply mark your accounts as private.
By marking your accounts as private, only your friends can see what you post, follow, and like.
Delete Inappropriate Posts
While most of these platforms will allow you to hide or archive old posts, we recommend going with the safest option of deleting them instead.
Inappropriate, NSFW, or gross posts may be well past their prime and you should take a no chance approach and simply delete them.
Redo Your Bio
Your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram bios should reflect who you are, in a professional manner.
You’ll want to remove any offensive or inappropriate content, while maintaining a sense of who you are.
Fix Your Profile Photo
The first thing anyone sees when they go to your profile.
While LinkedIn photos should be professional headshots, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook profile pictures should be appropriate, with your face visible.
Edit Your Handles
Your social media handles should be consistent across brands and should be professional and easy to remember.
Don’t add-in inappropriate content or numbers.
Keep it simple.
Preferably, you should incorporate your name into your handles.
Clean-Up Your Friends’ List
That one “friend” who’s always posting off-the-cuff content, the fraternity brother who never really graduated, the old colleague posting vaguely racist remarks?
Do a deep clean of your friends and people you follow and ask yourself if you really need to see the content they’re posting.
Follow More Inspiring People
Take an active role in your career development and follow people, hashtags, and companies which align with your career goals.
Use these people to get ideas and follow industry trends.
Make Inspiring Posts
Have something thoughtful to say?
Are you knowledgeable in your industry?
Write a well thought-up post and share with your network.
Encourage comments and keep it cordial.
Build your network with like-minded industry professionals.
Keep Your Pages Aesthetically Pleasing
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer a plethora of resources for making your pages aesthetically pleasing.
Post photos which appear professionally taken and use correct hashtags to improve engagement.
Post Sparingly
This is really where our age shows but try to not overshare or post.
Keep intimate details and happenings private and share only things which you wouldn’t mind if they were made public.