Recruiters, employers, and co-workers are all guilty of checking your social media either to see how you might fit into their organization or out of simple curiosity about who you are; chances are if you have taken the time to look someone up, they have done the same.
Most of you are probably thinking that you have taken the time to delete those photos from college, maybe you even have your accounts set to private (good for you) and are all set—it’s no longer enough. Have you ever looked up a new friend or a date and thought there must be something wrong with them if you can’t find them on anything? Your future employer might be thinking the same thing about you.
Here are some simple dos and don’ts when it comes to establishing your online presence:
Establishing yourself professionally
- Determine what accounts you will use to build a professional reputation, and which will be to share content socially with friends. It is easy to delineate the differences between LinkedIn and Instagram; but others walk the line between sharing expert content related to your field or your latest political diatribe, such as Twitter.
- Be active on your professional accounts to establish yourself as an active member of your field; produce content, connect with others, and share articles and posts that are relevant.
Maintaining a positive online persona
- It is no longer enough to remove your old drinking pictures from university; recruiters are now screening applicants to see if they are a good culture fit for the company. From your online presence, they can pull out your language and tone to screen for racism, aggressiveness, and get a glimpse of your personality.
- The good news is that what you set as private will stay that way; review the privacy settings on your accounts and determine what is set to private and what to public. Most social media sites give you the ability to view your public profile; look at it and make sure you are comfortable sharing everything you see.
Get ahead of the trend
Employers are already starting to run online checks, using automated services that scan through what is available about you online and return a report showcasing how you present yourself, how connected you are, and if you have any risk factors. Take the time now to get ahead of the trend and monitor your online activity with a service such as IDShield.
With IDShield you make the right first impression by cleaning up your social media accounts, we quickly analyze your Facebook and Twitter accounts, find photos and posts that may be harmful to your online reputation, and let you delete and archive with our easy-to-use tools.
IDShield is a product of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. d/b/a LegalShield (“LegalShield”). LegalShield provides access to identity theft protection and restoration services. For complete terms, coverage and conditions, please see www.idshield.com. All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. This is not intended to provide legal device. For legal advice, please contact your Provider Law Firm.
