Time to Review Your Online Profile?
We live in an era where we’re sharing more personal information than ever online through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. When you’ve decided it’s time to ‘Make Your Move’ and are looking for your next role, we recommend taking some time to review your online profile as 70% of employers say they look at candidates’ social media profiles (2018 CareerBuilder Survey).
If your profiles don’t quite showcase you in the light you’d like to be seen in its time to do something about it. Even if you aren’t actively searching for a new job, having up-to-date profiles is a smart strategy.
We suggest the following:
- Do a Google search of your name with location to see what comes up.
- Review your profile photos on all social media platforms – you want your profile photo to tell a positive story of you, a picture tells a thousand words and all that….
- Delete any photos or comments you wouldn’t want a future employer to see – or adjust the privacy setting on your accounts to ensure you are comfortable with what you are sharing.
- Review your bios – do they reflect who you are, your interests and what you care about.
- Remove any books, movies or affiliated groups which may reflect poorly on you. Things you liked four years ago may not reflect what you like today.
- While you are cleaning up your social profiles give them the same scrutiny regarding grammar and punctuation that you give your CV.
LinkedIn has been long considered the professional social media network and it remains the go to social media platform for business people. It is therefore critical that you ensure your LinkedIn profile and activity reflects how you want to be seen professionally.
In particular:
- Ensure your profile photo is professional looking – good quality head shot works best.
- Update your work history/experience/qualifications – potential employers may check to see that the information on your LinkedIn profile is reflected in your CV. This is also a great opportunity to include more information on the companies you work(ed) for, your roles/responsibilities and key achievements.
Now you have your social media profiles cleaned it’s important to keep them that way. Before you post/share anything in the future ask yourself if it is something you would want a future employer to see.
Remember online networking is still networking. Cultivate the right image and you’ll be well positioned to develop the kind of professional business network that will serve you and your career well.
