By Corey Schuler
Are you on Facebook? TikTok? Snapchat? LinkedIn? Reddit? X? Insta? Threads? Pinterest? Discord? MySpace?!?! Or any one of thousands of social media platforms that have bulldozed their way into our lives over the last two decades?
Odds are you’re using at least one of these every week, most likely every day. Algorithms are shaping what populates your feeds and you are shaping the world’s perception of you each time you like a photo or share a video.
We’ve known for a long time that potential employers sometimes see if they can find applicants on social media and get a feel for who they are online and/or outside the workplace. We really want to emphasize that this practice is still happening today, possibly more than ever.
If you’re not using anonymous accounts on social media, then your name is a brand, whether you mean for it to be or not. This brand may not be synonymous with Calvin Klein or Tom Cruise, but just like their names immediately conjure images in your mind of fashion or movies, when people look you up on social, the first images and content they see is no different. Immediately, your profile creates an instantaneous association between you and whatever is showcased to someone looking at your profile.
So… what are you saying?
Have you considered this before? If not, we strongly encourage you to be mindful moving forward, and we can help with that. If you’ve already put some thought into this, we have a lot of tips to ensure your intention and execution are aligned.
It might be wise to consider – even for platforms besides LinkedIn – that your digital footprint can be a never-ending job interview. We can help you plan accordingly.
Learn more about the ways you can give back.