How many times have you absentmindedly scrolled through your Facebook feed? Social media has become a major part of our lives and many people say it takes up too much of our valuable time. But what if you could get something of value from that time? What if instead of just using social media to kill time between meetings, you could use it to further your career?
Social media can be used to build your personal brand and engage with clients, customers, colleagues or potential employers. It can also be used to find new opportunities—whether it be a new job, or an exciting new project. How can you best use the platform to find and act on these opportunities?
The Do’s and Don’t of Social Media:
Do:
- Create and maintain a personal brand online—keep it authentic and consistent across all your social media accounts.
- Stay professional—Nothing online ever stays a secret. A controversial tweet can be deleted, but screenshots are forever.
- Have fun. Just because you’re keeping it professional and non-controversial doesn’t mean that you can’t make a joke every now and then.
- Keep in mind what is visible on the internet. Google yourself now and then. What comes up? Anything unprofessional or irrelevant that you should get rid of? What’s publicly visible on your social media (your current and past profile pictures, public photo albums, About Me, etc)? Is it appropriate? Does it contribute to your personal brand, or detract from it?
Don’t:
- voice your political or other polemical opinions. Your personal social media page (set to private, of course) may be an appropriate outlet for such things, but your public profiles should stay clear of anything in that area.
- Use your real name (or any recognizable username, i.e. the one you use for everything) to engage in online forums such as Reddit if you don’t want what you’re saying to be known to the public.
When it comes to social media, remember what your mom always said: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. If you have more questions or concerns about social media, branding or anything career-related at all, the career experts at TalentBridge can help.