It’s safe to say that most of us have a presence on social media. Whether it’s posting pictures of our lifestyle, commenting on other’s posts, or even scrolling through news snippets, spending time on social media has developed into a habit. However, don’t forget that everything you post or reply to is available for the public to see – including your current manager and hiring managers. That’s why, it’s important to manage your social media footprint and be thoughtful about how you appear online.
How you manage yourself on social media impacts how you are seen at work and how you may come across to potential employers. While you can control privacy options, things on the internet have a sneaky way of showing up through searches and you want to make sure you don’t have anything you don’t want floating around out there.
6 Tips to Help You Manage Your Digital Footprint
We have six tips to help you maintain your social media presence and keep your online reputation intact.
Tip #1: Audit your posts
One of the first things you will want to do is go through your posts and delete anything that makes you question whether it should be there. Make sure you go through all your platforms and not just LinkedIn and Instagram. Search yourself online and look through what comes up – if you find anything that is potentially problematic, you can find the source and delete or edit it. Err on the side of caution when it comes to your activity. If you think it’s questionable, chances are your employer will think so, too.
Tip #2: Delete old and inactive accounts
Having multiple accounts even when you don’t use them might work against you. Remove your inactive accounts so they don’t appear when searched. This will also save you the trouble of combing through these platforms. Remember to also delete and clear all that data because it can still be used by the company even if you’re not using the account.
Tip #3: Limit access to public audience
The world doesn’t need to know your every move, so keep your location private and avoid sharing where you are all the time and where your favorite spots are. Try to audit all the photos that get tagged of you and let only your friends tag you in posts to ensure the content on your profile is what you want to share. What is seen on your profile is how others view you, so limiting access to people you trust will ensure you don’t have any personal information shared.
Tip #4: Update your LinkedIn and other job profiles
If you are in the middle of a job search, not only will you want to clean up your online portfolio and business platforms but you also want to update them. Make sure your recent position and related activities are posted as well as what you might be looking for. Let employers know your strengths, what your certifications are, and what you are working towards. Build a profile that showcases your achievements, experience, and goals.
Tip #5: Protect your passwords
With data breaches and other privacy concerns, you must protect your password, so your profiles don’t get hacked. Hackers steal your information and can start posting as you to lure other victims. Change your password frequently and add two-step verification wherever you can so you get notified if someone is attempting to access any of your accounts.
Tip #6: Watch your activity moving forward
As you continue to use social media, think twice before posting and consider what you are posting. This is how you want to come across to the world, so you don’t want to post something you end up regretting later. Never post when you are angry, emotional or upset, and try to practice self-control when you’re browning and sharing on social media.
