Maintaining a Professional Image Online and Social Media

Today, your reputation follows you everywhere. From any personal business to your professional life. Are you kind? Do you complain a lot? Or better yet, are you a hard worker? More importantly, in our current internet era, the way you are perceived doesn’t end here.

How you are portrayed online, and your general digital reputation will affect your profession in one way or the other. Social media is becoming increasingly intrusive, and also businesses now realize the importance of online branding for their companies. To that effect, it is important to maintain a professional image online and on any social media platform. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can use to maintain a professional digital reputation.

1. Find out your online presence

Have you ever searched yourself on Google by any chance? If not, now here’s your chance to check what the world will instantly know about you simply by knowing your name. There’s a chance you’ve been active since high school, and you might find posts or even blogs that you created when you joined the online community. Now is your chance to change that and delete some of the unnecessary information about yourself online.

2. Edit your social media

A few years online means that you are bound to post information that could influence how your potential employer. With that in mind, try to find out what you’ve been posting over the years and edit any social media account. Only your closest friends and family will notice if you remove any post on your social media platforms. What’s more, it will not stick to your profile once it’s removed.

Leave motivation quotes, and anything that might be related to your profession. That will help clean your online presence.

3. Not all platforms are equal

You need to understand that each platform has its own set of rules and regulations. That said, your social media presence will be different in each platform. For instance, you can use Facebook to connect with your friends and family. On the other hand, Twitter and LinkedIn are the best places to connect with experts and other professionals in their fields.

Therefore, anything you post on Twitter or LinkedIn will be seen by most recruiters on the same platform. Meaning, you should always think twice about what you are posting on these platforms. Ensure your online profile reflects the person you are on your CV.

4. Stay away from certain topics

There are specific topics you should always keep off regardless of your profession. For instance, don’t comment on any major political talk. That will help you to have as little online bullies as possible. Politics, unfortunately, creates enemies offline and online. Also, too many thoughts on religion make it hard for you to maintain an agnostic personality. So, unless your job is connected to your religion, always stay away from religious posts.

5. You don’t have to post everything

As a professional or business owner, you will want people to take you seriously. But if all you are doing is posting your boyfriend, then people won’t see you as a businesswoman. For your business to grow, then start by branding yourself and making sure your posts impact your company positively. Avoid posting everything that goes on in your life and only choose certain family photos to post. The key here is moderation.