Being Professional on Social Media Our personal and professional reputations and identities are becoming increasingly blended as a result of social media. It is now much harder to maintain a level of personal anonymity outside the office. It is now possible for party animal alter-egos and “not safe for work” status updates to be viewed by current and potential employers or co-workers. If you’re not sure whether or not your social media profiles will stand up to professional scrutiny, there are a few things you can do to clean up your profiles. Once you clean things up, you’ll want to create a few habits that will help you maintain your professional social media presence.
Delete the Dirt No matter where you are on your life journey, whether a high school student, a starving student, a budding professional, or a seasoned veteran of Corporate America, you want to make sure that your social media profiles are free of any debauchery or derelict behaviors. Booze strewn images and scantily clad “selfies” should be deleted if you have them and avoided like the plague if you don’t. While these things may be obvious, there are other less noticeable ones that should also be avoided. Everything you post may come back to haunt you if you do not censure yourself. While it is absolutely not necessary to filter your comments and responses to the point of removing all personality, it is a wise person who posts from a place of respect. Avoid derisive or destructive comments of any kind and steer clear of any derogatory statements.
Keep it Classy Once you’ve cleaned up your Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter, you want to keep it that way. Each time you post a picture, video, or status update take a moment to review what you are putting on the internet. Nothing is truly private and no matter how hidden you think it may be, you can never be sure and I guarantee that you would much rather be safe than sorry. Additionally, if you are entrusted with the management of a company social media account take care to keep your personal accounts completely separate from the company accounts. The last thing you want is for you to lose your job because you posted your own personal opinions on a company account. If you need to, only access the work account from certain devices so that you don’t make a career ending mistake.
Personal and Professional For individuals searching for employment in fields where professionalism is tantamount, like the legal or medical professions, it may be wise for you to look for and participate in an industry specific code of conduct training. Doing this will enable you to familiarize yourself with the specific rules of interacting on social media for that industry.
As mentioned above, there is no need to wipe your personality from your social media accounts. Stay true to who you are but bear in mind that what you do on your social networks are just that. Remember that they are social and now accessible to those in your network. Photo Credit: MarketingDirecto, Edudemic