Using Social Media to enhance your professional profile

​Presenting a professional profile used to be a matter of possessing a good CV, looking smart and being well prepared for an interview. But now it’s as important to make a good impression on your social media channels too. It’s vital that your social media presence reflects the best possible view of your personal and professional brand.

Our WRS marketing experts have put together this short blog to provide you with some advice on steps you can take to enhance your professional profile on social media. 

Professional vs personal

For most of us, there’s a distinction between our personal and professional life. On social media this can become blurred, especially if your boss follows you or you use your personal social media to win clients. As a company, we recently completed a training course on creating your own social media brand and we’ve learned a few things. Posting valuable and credible posts is really important, but not all posts must be 100% work related. Adding some personal content to your social media posts can help to build your brand and win those all-important followers. Think carefully about the information you share. Much of what you post on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feeds could still be reviewed by a potential employer. Also, think about other people’s content that you like, comment on and share. Ask yourself, “If my boss saw that I liked this post, what would it tell them about me? Do I want my boss to know that information?” If the answer is no, resist the urge to engage with it.

Time to socialise

Using social media to enhance your professional presence online will help you stand out from the crowd with prospective employers. But before you enter the job market, think about auditing your social media presence to make sure that your profile information is up-to-date and that any pictures are current and appropriate for use. Double check that your recent posts and content presents you in the best possible light. We would also suggest you do some research around the market you want to enter and start to create and share posts and content that are relevant to that industry. 

Today, LinkedIn is by far the strongest social media tool to build your professional profile, showcase your skills and get noticed by recruiters. To help you create your own brand and get the best out of the platform we created a blog which you can read here:how to get the best from your LinkedIn profile.

Visibility and privacy

Using social media to build your brand, sell your skills and enhance your professional reputation can be a huge benefit, but this strength can also present a risk if you’re not clear on what you are sharing and with who. If you are concerned about privacy, it’s possible to get a balance between self-promotion to potential employers and maintaining your privacy too. You can manage your privacy settings on all social media platforms. Take some time to review the settings associated with all your social media profiles and take control over the information that your audience can see.

Your voice

Once you’re satisfied that all of your social profiles are up-to-date and that your pages contain content that you’re happy to share, you are ready to become part of the conversation. Social media is designed to allow you to interact and connect with like-minded people. Don’t be afraid to comment on an interesting blog post or discussion thread. It’s a great way to engage with a prospective employer and to get yourself noticed.

Making the most of your social presence

Harness the power of social media to enhance your professional profile by using these ideas, don’t miss out on the opportunity to stand-out to employers. By making some simple changes to your social media profiles and feeds, you can easily showcase your skills and experience to help kick-start conversations with recruiters and potential future employers.