As some of you may be aware, over the last week I have been learning about creating and maintaining a professional online presence. I found this course very engaging and it taught me a lot things that are quick wins for anyone, so I thought I would share them with you!
So what is an online presence? Having a Facebook and Twitter page that you spend most of your day endlessly scrolling through? Well, actually, yes, but it’s not just about being present on social media. Your online presence is anything about YOU which is on the lovely World Wide Web. This could include social media, but includes photos, videos, reviews you’ve written, forums etc. The list is pretty endless!
Have you tried Googling yourself recently to find out what pops up? You may be surprised! That’s because lots of people assume that their online presence only includes items that they post themselves, which is a misconception, as it also includes what others post about you too!
Having a professional online presence is key these days, as it’s the place that many potential employers will look when thinking about employing you, even before they think about contacting you! This could include your social media channels.
So how happy would you currently be with your next potential boss browsing all of your social media accounts? You may have glanced over and seen nothing untoward, lots of photos from you travelling last year, and a family picture from your recent graduation. But how about photos added by OTHERS of you, like that picture of you and your best mate in the sea skinny-dipping last year? You may not have posted it, but your friend Emma did…and she tagged you too. This also counts as your presence online. How would you feel knowing your current/potential boss saw that?
The same goes for any accounts that you may have online, your Twitter account may look like your only tweeting about current affairs and sharing your passion for a particular subject, but what about “that” tweet you sent whilst drunk slagging off the government last week? This may seem innocent and funny at the time, and maybe even now, but again, what would professionals think of this? Especially if you wanted a job in politics.
This really captured my attention, and left me very intrigued as to how my online presence looked and I completed a simple but effective task, and I urge you to do the same! Below is a list of helpful tips that won’t take you 5 minutes, but could help you to achieve a better and more professional online presence:
- Look through all your social media accounts have delete any posts/media that may not show you in your best light.
- Check your privacy settings, can anyone see your account and posts?
- Check your settings on tagged media – does it show up automatically if others tag you?
- Do you have professional platforms like LinkedIn? If so, when did you last update it? It might be worth a tidy up and update!
- Do you contribute to conversations? – Have you been tagged in chain posts that really aren’t relevant to you?
I found that spending a little time on these small tasks was very worthwhile. Although nothing incriminating to me came up, it did highlight how privacy settings are always being changed by the sites owners, and I was showing content to anyone without really knowing it! When was the last time you simply clicked on “OK” and scrolled through a new update message about changes to privacy settings?
Just remember that whatever you post online these days cannot be permanently removed due to the sheer amount of data that’s uploaded every minute of every day. Shared a picture of you partying hard on a “school night” before a full day of work? You deleted it soon after, but how many other colleagues could have taken a screenshot and posted elsewhere?
This information may get you thinking, but spending just 5-10 minutes of your time checking over and being cautious of what you post will pay off!
