How to clean up your social media for work

SOCIAL media has become somewhat of a second version of one’s CV, with more companies using it in their recruitment processes.

This might cause some concern for those that tend to over-share on social media as some of their posts might not be in line with the companies they hope to work with.

Taking some time to clean up your social media will help prepare your profile for when companies or brands come looking for you. But don’t be disheartened, cleaning up your profile does not mean removing everything fun about who you are but maybe reconsider posting content that might offend or confuse people.

Self expression is great and some positions will require exactly that from you so here is how you can clean up your social media without changing who you are.

Add a Professional bio

Your biography is the first thing people see on your social media page so make sure it is unique and provides

an accurate description of who you are. Some people add their skills or job titles in their bio’s in case recruiters find their page even when they are not necessarily job hunting.

Simple handles

As fun as the handle @hotgirlsummer would be it might be better to stick to your full name as a handle or username for your social media profiles. It will make it easier for companies to find you and decrease the chances of them confusing you for other people. Delete or archive content

We have all seen how old tweets have a tendency of coming back to bite people. Things that might have been appropriate to say or post a few years ago might be offensive nowadays so it is important to go back and check on some of your old content.

Check who you are following

Your followers and who you follow, say a lot about who you are so be careful you are not following bots or

accounts that scam people because that will not reflect well on you.

Set your profiles to ‘Private’ Closing off your profile from public viewing means people who want to view your content will have to request permission from you. This will give you time to decide whether your profile is appropriate for whatever job you have applied for.

Start a career-focused blog Your profile will definitely stand out from the rest if you have your own blog where you write about the work you have done or are currently doing. It is also a good way to control what information pops up first when companies Google you.

Google yourself

Make it a habit to Google your name or the different usernames you have created for your profiles in the past just to see what comes up. You will then have an idea of what you need to do to clean up your profile online.