Social Media/Professional Identity

Anxious about entering the job market? About making that transition from college to REAL LIFE? We’re here to help. This is an online forum to help YOU professionalize and improve your online identity in order to help you land that dream job. First some primary points of focus:

WHAT is an online identity?
An online identity is an online social persona that a person uses to present him/herself on the internet. In other words, it’s your first impression online! And believe us, people are “meeting” you online.

WHO is meeting you online?
EVERYONE! From potential employers, to your parents’ Facebook friends, anyone can search you and find you online. This is the main reason why your online identity is so important.

WHY is your online identity important?
Again, anyone and everyone can search you. Any embarrassing or unprofessional information that you post online, anyone can see. Especially to potential employers, this is a first impression. Before an interview, an employer has your resume, and can google your name. A professional online identity helps to make sure that this first impression matches your great resume, and your first personal impression in an interview.

WHEN will my online identity end? It will go away, right?
NEVER! Everything online is permanent. Deleting some things can help prevent potential employers from finding them because they do cursory searches. But positions in government jobs, or others with means to find something out about you can do so if you post it.

As a general rule, be careful what you post online. Think of it this way: Would I want my parents to see this? Could this harm my future in ANY way? Could others perceive this as unprofessional or inappropriate?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, or even have a bad feeling that the content you want to post is inappropriate, just be safe and DO NOT POST.

WHERE does my online identity start and finish?
EVERYWHERE online. From all devices (phones, tablets, computers, etc.); any way of accessing the internet holds your online identity.

In our fast-paced and technological world, information is everywhere and easily accessible. This means that so is your online identity. The main purpose of this Wikiversity page is to give you ways of protecting, maintaining, and even cleaning up your personal online identity because now you are aware of HOW IMPORTANT it is.

Employers are Looking
If you are still skeptical about the importance of a professional online identity, here are some statistics:

90% of job search firms routinely do online searches for their job canditates.

50% of corporate recruiters have rejected job candidates based on inappropriate online content. Whether you choose to believe it or not, the statistics speak for themselves; potential employers are Googling your name and finding you online. Make sure that your content is updated, appropriate, and professional. At the very least just update everyone on how you are doing, what are some new projects that you are working on, what new classes that you are taking and how you like them. Talk about your successes and your challenges, everyone has their ups and downs. Remember, this is an online identity – identities change and transform over time. You grow as a person and as a potential employee. This shows that you are investing in yourself so that you can bring more to the table for potential employers. Update your social media! There are many forms of social media and social networking online. Making sure that each and every piece of your online identity is appropriate and professional is tremendously important to success in the job market.

Cleaning Up
For people who may need help in “cleaning up” their online identities, there is a service website that can help. Brandyourself.com is a website that caters to the common person. Before the launch of this site, online identity clean-ups could only be afforded by the wealthy and did not guarantee results. Thanks to Brandyourself.com anyone can get help in professionalizing their online identity for a small cost.

What NOT to Post
Socialmediatoday.com has a list of the top 11 things you should not post online. A major theme in the top 11 is to be authentic and to be yourself. This will help you match your online identity to your actual identity in the first interview.

Also, know what each social media platform is geared toward. For example, LinkedIn is a professional/business themed social media platform. You should not post your favorite recipes to this site for potential employers to see (to use the example from socialmediatoday.com).

On regular social media platforms, be authentic. Again, this is important to matching your identities. Do not post things that you would not say in public. There is no “hiding behind” a computer screen. No matter what your screen name is, there is always a way to find your real name. And everything is out there FOREVER.

These major themes along with other “Don’ts” listed in the article are things you should take time to learn.

1. Decide on the Version of Your Name to Use
Choose the name that displays a clear identity, making it easy for possible future employers to find you online. Be careful when using a nickname and verify that it is professional. Individuals with names that are difficult to pronounce or read may look into using a nickname that is easier to pronounce and remember.

Example: Nicholas to Nick is appropriate and still professional. However, Nicholas to Nicky is seemingly unprofessional and childish. Maintaining an appropriate name online goes hand in hand with maintaining a professional online identity.

Example of your e-mail address: Appropriate: jsmith@gmail.com Inappropriate: rockRgurl17@gmail.com

Professional e-mails usually contain part or all of the person's name and maybe some relation to their business. All other information is irrelevant and unprofessional.

Unfortunately, difficult last names cannot be avoided! Include one phonetic spelling in parenthesis after your first/last name if it is difficult to pronounce. Never use more than one phonetic spelling, it could cause confusion for your readers.

Example: Homer Simpson (Sim-sun), Peter (Pee-turr) Griffin, Harry (Hair-ee) Potter (Pot-urr)

2. Pick an Appropriate Photo
When choosing your photo, consider the first appearance and impression you want to give off to your potential employers. Always dress in professional attire! Make sure to choose an image with proper lighting and high quality. Also, be sure to choose an image with a high pixel count. When the photo is scaled down, it will end up in fewer artifacts.

3. Define Yourself
Include a header that is clear, brief, catchy, and unforgettable at the beginning of your profile! Many consider their header as a personal motto, because they want people to remember them! Increase your chances of being chosen for the potential job over countless other individuals by separating yourself from others in a creative manner. Draw on your past experiences to determine exactly what makes you unique as a potential employee. All the while, remember that you want to relate to your audience. Make sure the image being presented is the one that will lead to the most positive reactions from the audience. Consider using slogans that create a visual image inside the audience’s mind. Exemplify your identity through a quote or phrase to clearly connect to your audience. Lastly, keep it simple. Convey your message in a short, memorable, and effective way.

4. Highlight Your Skills
Always display your work for others to see! Post your best writing samples. When posting, make sure there is a clear and direct way for your future employers to access your samples. Provide a link in bold, or some other distinctive style giving directions to access your writing samples. Also, do not feel limited to only uploading writing samples; include all your other prestigious work, as well! Consider sharing documents, photographs, videos, and more artwork! WARNING: Try to avoid including irrelevant skills pertaining to your specific audience. For example, do not include your lifeguard certification when you are trying to attract corporate employers.

5. Other Factors to Include

 * Your résumé
 * Other information related to your skills and experiences
 * Your contact information (professional e-mail, telephone number)
 * Your social media links
 * Files that show your work and other projects

Always check over the names of the files that are being uploaded onto your online profile. The naming of your files should be displayed very clearly. Here is an example of a proper naming file: Valeria_Marelli resume 2009.doc

Three C's of Continuing a Professional Online Identity
There are many ways to improve and maintain a well-defined professional identity after establishing a basis for your professional identity as stated above. This process of sharpening one’s desired professional identity on social media platforms can pay immense dividends in the job hiring process. The next three steps should help students and recent graduates become familiar with themes and ideas to always consider when maintaining their professional identity.

1. Clarity
It is very important to always remain clear and transparent when presenting yourself in an online setting. Social media allows for a number of manners in which to express one’s professional identity. As a college student or recent graduate searching for a job, it is very important to clearly present your qualifications, skills, and abilities. This means that you should not overstate your qualifications for a certain position or field because discrepancies will become clearly evident during the interviewing process for potential employment. On the other hand, it is equally important not to understate your abilities because this could cause potential employers or recruiters to shy away from you as a viable candidate for employment.

2. Consistency
Another aspect that is very important is the aspect of consistency. One should express their identity in a consistent manner across all aspects of social media and communication. Portraying oneself in a different light in an inconsistent manner across social mediums can confuse and worry potential employers, recruiters, or contemporaries that one could network with. It is very important to include all central aspects of your professional identity in your social media profiles. Only including some skills or experiences in certain online mediums, while presenting other qualities on different platforms could lead to confusion and skepticism in the mind of job recruiters. Presenting a consistent professional identity across all social platforms creates the best scenario for success in terms of marketing oneself with the goal of gaining future employment in a field relevant to one’s abilities and experiences.

3.Constancy
Next, it is important to remain visible to your peers on social media. Creating a clear and consistent image is both important and necessary, but without constant reinforcement of these themes one will not maximize the potential for exposure to peers or employers. Constant reinforcement of one’s skills, ability, and professional identity across one’s social media profiles is necessary for success in maintaining a visible image that reflects positively on one's skills in relation to potential employment opportunities. This is especially important for college students and recent college graduates attempting to market themselves to specific fields and companies. Presenting a clear, concise, and constant image of oneself as a professional individual will help to improve the chances of establishing a positive impression on employers and recruiters.

Your Personal Network
When trying to make it in the world as an professional individual, there can be moments where you may feel isolated and/or overwhelmed by the amount of every-day problems you will face. That is why it is important to have connections with other professional individuals or groups. Creating a system of connections is the best way to establish this kind of support, a process known as Networking. A Personal Network is a group of people with whom an individual would expect to interact with in order to support each others' professional endeavors. Setting up your own personal network is very important in the online professional world. Having a network will not only help to improve your productivity, but it will also help to reach out to different contacts. There are many approaches to creating your network, but here are some general tips.

1. Early Bird Gets The Worm
Getting an early start on your personal network will come in handy as you move forward in your professional career. If you are starting while attending a college or university, it's suggested that you look into the groups formed on campus that pertain to your career interests. Through the members of these groups, and other groups that you may encounter, you should start making a list of connections right from the start.

2. There is Not Always Safety in Numbers
Ideally, when it comes to your network, the bigger the better. However, in some cases, a connection can end poorly when an opportunity seems to only benefit one person. In order to avoid these problems, it is important to find connections that are mutually beneficial. These mutual benefactors will be the most helpful when you are job searching. Once you do find a career, dropping some of the connections that don’t support your progression in the professional world may become necessary.

3. Persistency is Key
As said before, there are many approaches to making connections. Sometimes these approaches will work better for certain people than others, which is why you must be prepared for some connections to not work out. Do not let this discourage you! If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, being persistent in trying to obtain a certain connection is absolutely necessary. A good approach is not to ask for a job, but just for help. People will respond better if you are looking to them for guidance at first rather than direct favors. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.

4. Be an Active Participant
A part of the networking process includes using social network sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, as a way of reaching out to other potential connections. It's important that you utilize the many social networking platforms so that others can reach out to you in more ways. While on these social networks you should join, invite, and view other groups’ pages. However, just joining these groups is not enough if you want appear as an engaged professional. Add comments, posts, opinions, and ideas through these groups to show your participation. It will be hard to find good, trustworthy connections if people do not see you as an interested and committed member.

Here are some major ways to reach out to people who you are interested in having as a connection:

Call - The simplest way of reaching out to potential employers is over the phone. However, many professionals may not be as easily contacted over the phone than past acquaintances and family. Connecting with people over the phone is an easy start to help you in your job search. More professional contacts may need to arrange calls. Take charge and arrange a phone call!

Email/Message - While an email is a more common way to message potential employers and other professionals, using your social media sites can also be used as a form of contact. This approach will likely lead to a response at the earliest convenience of the contact. Overall, this will improve the timeliness in the response and his/her attitude towards you as a potential employee.

Arrange a Meeting - Asking contacts to take an hour out of their schedule to meet you for coffee or lunch is great way to make a connection with someone. You can ask them about their industry and understand their wants and needs in order to form a more memorable and personal relationship. This also gives you insight as to what skills and knowledge to acquire during your course of education.

Invite to Professional Event - During your job search, you may come across certain events or conferences where you may want to invite potential employers or other professionals. During this time, you can get to know them better and acquire some vital information about job opportunities.