Are you one of the 1.01 Billion Facebook users, 500 Million Twitter users, or 175 Million LinkedIN users? Social media is everywhere. Having an online presence is important, but making sure it’s a clean one is even more important.
More and more employers are looking online first before they hire an employee or intern. Is your social media up to the test? Here are some tips on how to make sure your social media and online presence won’t stop you from getting the job or internship of your dreams.
First things first make sure you are Googling yourself regularly. Type in your first and last name and see what the top sites and images are. Make sure that this is how you would want to be portrayed if an employer did the same. You never know when old Myspace photos could show up
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Make sure your Social Media sites are clean as well. Don’t post profanity or anything illegal. Look back through your Facebook and Tweets, is this how you want to be portrayed? It may be a good rule of thumb, even if you have privacy settings to delete any photos all together that you would not want your parents to see.
Reppler.com is a great tool to use as well. By logging in with your Facebook and/or twitter it scans your profile and alerts you of inappropriate content you may not even be aware of.
Make sure to always be positive! Don’t post anything negative or that could be taken out of context. Everything that you post on your social media sites should present you in a positive manner. As much as we want to tweet about how boring work is, don’t do it! You don’t want a future employer to think that you could write about them on your social media pages.
All in all social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. It is also great way to network with future employers, but it can also work against you. Your social media should represents you in the best manner and remember a little social media etiquette can go a long way.
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