M a n a g i n g

y o u r

S o c i a l

M e d i a

p r o f i l e

Strategy Design | Business Planning | Reputation Management | Brand Management |

Social Media Management |Marketing, PR, & Communications |Skills Development

SOCIAL MEDIA

PROFILE

• Social Media has given us a platform to put ourselves out there and engage

with others

– Accessibility

– Accountability

– Responsibility

– As a branding/marketing tool (personal/individual brands included)

• While we are using it as tool to represent who we are, companies are using it

to predict what we would be like as employees

• Be mindful of your ORM and treat it with respect…that’s your brand afterall

• Accept that you have an online identity, that you exist online, and that people can find

information about you

• Realise that having an online identity can be a good thing and that the social Web can,

and will, influence how others perceive you, both personally and professionally

• Decide that you need to ‘professionalise’ your online identity, and you can do this even if

you’ve never created a Web page – always keep it ‘clean’

• Acknowledge that you will not be able to keep two separate online identities for

professional and personal purposes

• Find what’s out there on you. Accept it maybe incorrect - Clean it up and correct mistakes

• Employers are using all tools available to to assure they make correct hiring decisions

• Social media gives them access to information that we make public

• For job seekers it is essential to be aware of what information is available to current or

prospective employers

• manage their online image in such a way that it represents who you are but still not

losing your professionalism

• Recruiters and hiring managers are using social media to get a glimpse at the

candidate’s behaviour and personality outside of the interview

• Most are interested in professional presentation and how the candidate would fit with

the company culture

• Not to delete all evidence of your social media presence or to stay offline entirely.

• Instead, it’s to clean it up, and tailor what you can to the image you’d like to craft for

yourself as a professional

• t’s okay to be a person who likes to have fun, or is sarcastic, maybe even a little

subversive at times; people are different, people are complex

• But it’s important to balance such posts with observations, comments, or photos of a

more serious nature, and to ALWAYS keep in mind that how you present yourself through

social media is no different than how you would in a job interview, or at the office.

• Remember :

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT THE CONVERSATION…IT IS SIMPLY WHERE THE

CONVERSATION TAKES PLACE

• Keep it (more or less) positive

• Your Facebook Status box is not your best friend

• Don’t use it to vent complaints about your friends, your boyfriend, but especially your

current employer or co-workers

• Keep it classy—and keep your problems to yourself

• Whether you’re looking for a job or just looking to keep the one you have, it’s important

to remember that what you write matters – you take accountability for your words and

actions

• Something that may seem funny to you could be interpreted in a very different way by

someone who doesn’t know you or your personality

• Think before you selfie (or velfie)

• While your friends or followers may be interested in seeing you lying in bed, lips pursed, impressive 6 pack or

cleavage on show, in the most awesome (bed) headshot, your potential employers do not

• Great for lingerie models, not so great for an investment banker who needs to be known for their investment

prowess and not their scantily clad sleepwear

• They want to know that in hiring you they’re not going to be inviting an egomaniac into the workplace, or

someone who thinks of themselves first, without a thought for the organisation that you represent

• A recent study out of the U.K. found that the selfie phenomenon may be damaging to real world

relationships, concluding that both excessive photo sharing and sharing photos of a certain type—including

self-portraits—makes people less likeable, and seen as arrogant and narcisstic

• What’s more, putting so much emphasis on your own looks can make others feel self-conscious about theirs

in your presence, and the last thing you want to do is make employers believe that they have a self centred

• Privatize

• Not quite the point of social media, but if you’re going to insist on being free to write or post whatever

you’d like, and want impunity, the only option is to make your accounts private

• If what your friends post to your wall is a worrisome reflection of you or your beliefs, talk to them about it,

turn off the function that allows them to do so, or, if you must block their posts or defriend them

• Use social media for good, not evil

• Let’s face it: Your Instagram photos of your European vacation were a branding tool anyway

• So why not take it a step more professional and use your online presence as an opportunity to present

the very best, most marketable, sides of yourself?

• Post about Europe, but also post about ideas that interest you, projects you’re working on, people who

inspire you

• You’re not a one trick pony. Your social media shouldn’t be either.

• Upload or embed items and documents that you own, link to ones you do not

• Keep it organised and think about navigation and design (e.g., create a page for each

section of your résumé), especially on LinkedIn - Only include materials that you would

show your current employer

• Make it easy for people to contact you: include brief contact information (name and e-

mail address will suffice), but do not include personal information (like home phone or

address). This is true for any online presence or profile

• Use tags/keywords (if available) to help in searching

• Be creative. It shouldn’t be just an online version of your résumé

• Keep it current, remain relevant…ALWAYS !

Personal Branding : “The public expression and projection of an individual’s identity,

personality, values, skills, and abilities.”

• Showcase Your Talent (consistently market yourself)

• YOU are a brand !

• This is your opportunity to provide evidence that you are as exceptional as your resume says by posting

awards and accolades you’ve received, volunteer activities, accomplishments you’re excited about,

etc. – just don’t become arrogant or self centred about it

• Employers often search social media to learn more about your qualifications or to see that you are well-

rounded, so be sure to put that information front and centre

• Keep Tabs

• Just because you’re being careful with what you put online doesn’t mean your friends are also cautious

• Watch what others are posting on your profile and what you’re tagged in to protect your online image

• Search Yourself

• The easiest way for employers to research your online personality is a simple search on

Google and other sites

• Try it out for yourself so you know exactly what they’ll see and remove any digital dirt you

wouldn’t want a potential boss to encounter

• Some browsers may save information about you, so search from a public computer to be

sure you’re getting the right results

• Constantly check your Privacy Settings

• Social media sites change their privacy settings often, and occasionally this leads to a

change in your personal settings

• It’s good practice to check in on the privacy settings for all of your accounts regularly

@BBT_ZA

Black Box Theory

Black Box Theory

Black Box Theory