If you’ve read my article on the importance of a positive online reputation, it makes sense that your next step is to actually work on understanding and improving yours. It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, especially if you aren’t familiar or comfortable with many of the social platforms and more technical aspects of creating an online presence. For some people, it can be beneficial to hire a personal branding professional or someone who specializes in online reputation management.
It’s important to remember that your online reputation is your personal brand. People will look you up online, whether it’s someone you met at a networking event, a potential new employer, or someone you’re going to go on a date with. A study in 2018 found that 70 percent of employers screen the social media of potential hires – companies state that the number is only growing. You shouldn’t feel like all your social media needs to be focused exclusively on your career, but if you have profiles where you share more personal thoughts or information, keep these set to private or remove any information that connects them to you. Or, make sure anything you’re posting isn’t something you wouldn’t want an employer to see. The biggest red flags are often: complaining about current or past jobs, use of inappropriate language, or sharing extreme beliefs.
So, where should you start? Here are some basic tips to start to get a handle on your online reputation.
Create your own website
The first step to take is creating your own website, if you don’t already have one. No matter what you do professionally, having a website to showcase your work and accomplishments is beneficial. It isn’t a must-have for everyone, but for many professions, it’s a great career aid. If you’re trying to build up your brand, work against a negative online result, or share a name with someone who shows up in your results, a website is important.
Even if you don’t fully set up your website, simply claiming your domain and holding onto it so someone else can’t, is a good idea.
Audit your social profiles
Unless you’re one of the few people who don’t engage with social media at all, it’s vital that you take the time to audit your profiles. Most of us have had social media for years and we may not have always made the smartest choices when posting something. It’s time to audit your profiles and decide what you want their purpose to be. Depending on your career, you might want them public and active – since I work in marketing, I keep my profiles public and professional. I can showcase my experience and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and changes.
For people in other careers, such as teachers, it’s probably wise to make all of your social media private or get rid of it all together. Or, make it entirely focused on your career and professional image. No matter what you decide to do with your social media profiles, it’s a good idea to audit them to make sure they’re either optimized for your personal brand or contain nothing that could be misconstrued or that looks unprofessional. That meme you posted in 2011 that you thought was hilarious might not be as funny now.
Regularly update your profiles
If you choose to keep your social profiles, you’ll need to regularly update them. Whether you’re using them for personal posts, professional, or both, it’s important to keep posting. Share content that is positive and appropriate for an employer to see, if you choose to keep your profiles public. Employers want to see that you’re proactive with your online presence. Depending on your career, your personal brand could determine if you’re a good fit for a job or not, so crafting a great brand can help you professionally.
It isn’t enough to simply take the time to check up on your online reputation and then clean it up; you need to keep it updated as well.
Stay current on industry news
Instead of just posting fun pictures of yourself or tweets about your current favorite movie, make sure you’re sharing articles and information that show you’re keeping up with current industry news. You’ll also want to do your own reading to ensure that you’re following best practices for any platforms you’re using to post and build your brand. Guidelines change constantly, so it’s vital to understand what is most up-to-date. When potential employers are taking a look at your online presence, it’s a huge plus for them to see that you’re keeping up with the newest industry developments.
Overall, the best steps you can take to get a handle on your online reputation is to audit it, keep it clean, and show regularly activity and updates. It is becoming more and more common for employers to look you up online before offering an interview – your current employer may even look you up! Honing an online presence that benefits you professionally is a great step you can take for yourself.
If you need more help auditing and updating your online presence or personal brand, feel free to reach out – I offer these services, as well as traditional marketing and writing for individuals and brands. You can reach me at julianarknight@gmail.com.