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Whether you’re looking to score an interview for your dream job or to secure a sale with your biggest prospect yet, you can increase your chances by tailoring your personal social media strategy in just a few easy steps. In today’s social media age it’s inevitable that the first thing someone does when your name comes across their desk is Google it and search for you on social media. This pre-screening can either make or break your chances to get your foot in the door so it’s important to keep your social in tip-top shape to make the best first impression. Follow these tips and let your personal social media sites do the work for you.
1. Think before you post
One of the best things you can do to start moving your social media in the right direction is by changing the way you post, tweet, like and share. Although it may be an impulse to complain about the slow barista behind the counter or share that highly charged political post, think before you do. If for any reason it may look bad on you in the future, skip it.
2. Market yourself
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to allow your professional identity to spill into your personal social media. Let a future employer or customer know that you’re passionate about what you do by sharing industry relevant content on social. Did you read an interesting article detailing a new idea in your field? Share it. Did some of your work manage to get published? Tweet about it. Doing so will let those looking at your profile see that you know what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it.
3. Keep active and up to date
As bad as a profile with inappropriate pictures and off-putting posts is, I think a profile with nothing on it is even worse. At the very minimum, keep an updated picture of yourself and a relevant bio ready for anyone that may come looking. However, it’s best to post regularly and update often to give potential employers and customers a nice picture of who you are.
4. Re-evaluate every few months
Every once in a while I like to comb through my old posts, pictures and tweets just to make sure I’m happy with everything I see. We’ve all ended up on our best friend’s cousin’s sister’s profile looking at vacation photos from three years ago and, if that happens to be me, I don’t want anything slipping through the cracks.
5. Be yourself
After all of these tips, you may feel like you have to be on guard with every post you make. When it comes down to it, though, your social media is all about you. Don’t let the fear of a bad tweet keep you from participating. If you’re too cautions you’ll come across as robotic and impersonal. And, if it really ends up being that bad you can always delete it later.
Take a few moments each day to check in on what’s trending in your industry and stay on top of your contacts. When used correctly, personal social media accounts can be the perfect tool to help you make a great first impression and move to the next level in your career. Happy tweeting!