A GUIDE

SOCIAL SMARTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

Introduction

When an employer, recruiter, or friend types your name into a search engine, what do they find? As an employee, you cultivate your professional reputation. As a student, you spend hours learning and perfecting assignments. Why not take the same care with your digital footprint?

Your personal brand reaches beyond the workplace, classroom, and home. It lives on the Internet for millions of strangers to view. Do you own your online name? Here are some key tips to help protect and build your personal brand using social media.

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Facebook

Twitter

Say “no” to controversy.

While Facebook invites users to share thoughts, steer clear of controversy. A statement on subjects like politics and religion can potentially offend employers, colleagues, recruiters, and even family and friends. When in doubt: don’t share.

Be aware of photos.

You can spend the majority of your professional career showcasing your strengths and skills only to have one bad photo set you back. Delete and untag photographs with conduct you wouldn’t want your colleagues or potential employers to see.

Become a thought leader.

Make sure the content you share is noteworthy. Take the time to learn about current events and share the latest industry news with your audience. Understanding your industry can help you provide beneficial information and showcase your knowledge during online discussions.

Lock down your profile.

Facebook privacy settings are continually evolving. Be aware of these changes and adjust your profile accordingly. Make sure you are sharing the right information with the right people. Visit the Facebook Help Center for more information.

Choose your handle carefully.

If your handle is @xoPrincessxo, your tweets may be overlooked by industry professionals and recruiters. Your handle is a Twitter signature and the first impression you have when tweeting, responding, or mentioning users. Make sure your handle is professional and memorable (@JohnSmith, @JSmith, etc.).

Create lists. It can be difficult to keep up with the most important and relevant tweets. Create lists and group followers by categories (companies, recruiters, coworkers, or friends). This cuts down on noise and allows you to keep track of tweets you want to read. Click here to learn how to use Twitter lists.

Hashtag wisely. Hashtags categorize tweets and lead users to conversations surrounding a specific topic or theme. They can help you start a discussion, join a chat, or get information. Before incorporating a hashtag, understand its meaning. Using a hashtag out of context could offend others and discredit your personal brand.

Fact: An average of million tweets are sent each day.

500

3 social smarts for successful careers kaplanuniversity.edu 877.445.4238 (Toll Free)

Fact: The Facebook population is almost times that of the United States.

Google +

SlideShare

Take advantage of Google+

communities.

Similar to Facebook groups, these communities connect you with individuals with the same interests. The focus of these communities can range from hobbies to professional networking groups. This is another opportunity to grow as an industry thought leader.

Boostyour SEO.

Google+ is the social interface between you and the Google search engine. Your profile and what you share provides Google with information about your interests. When users share your content (blog, articles, videos) it boosts your rank in Google search engine results.

Optimizeyour profile.

Having a profile with little or no information works against you. Make sure to add a professional photo, write a summary that includes your professional experience and your passions, and use keywords when writing content.

Instead of listing your skills, show

them off.

SlideShare allows you to upload presentations and share them with millions. Social networking sites give you space for a brief description of employment and skills. With SlideShare, you can upload professional accomplishments or samples of projects you previously led. These slides can bring your resume and experience to life.

Learn fromother leaders.

SlideShare was named among the world’s Top 100 Tools for Learning. The White House website, IBM, and Pfizer are just a few of the millions who use SlideShare. Take advantage of the variety of information shared by industry leaders, brands, and companies.

million monthly page views.215

Fact:SlideShare has

million monthly visitors

and

60

social smarts for successful careers kaplanuniversity.edu 877.445.4238 (Toll Free)4

Fact: Google+ is the number 2 social platform in the world

with million monthly active users.540

LinkedIn

Personalizeyour connection

invitations.

LinkedIn provides generic copy for connection invites. Address the person you wish to connect with and personalize the message. You can reference where you met (“It was great meeting you at ___________ event”) or upcoming projects (“I look forward to working with you on ___________.”).

Don’t endorsea stranger.

If you have never collaborated with the individual or witnessed their talents, why are you endorsing them? Endorse people you have established real connections with and/or have worked with (colleagues, former classmates, and friends).

Fact: The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that

95%of companies that use social media in their recruiting efforts use LinkedIn.

Sources

http://mashable.com/2014/01/30/facebook-china-population/

https://www.census.gov/popclock/

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312513390321/d564001ds1.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/technology/the-plus-in-google-plus-its-mostly-for-google.html?_r=0

http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/

http://www.slideshare.net/who-to-follow-on-slideshare

http://www.bitrebels.com/social/10-personal-branding-mistakes-to-avoid-on-twitter-infographic/

http://socialmediatoday.com/samrichter/1700011/ways-build-personal-brand-online-world

http://www.copypress.com/blog/21-social-media-rules-for-personal-brands/

http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/SocialNetworkingWebsitesforIdentifyingandStaffingPotentialJobCandidates.aspx

http://www.slideshare.net/about

https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-using-hashtags-on-twitter

http://www.hashtags.org/platforms/twitter/whats-the-point-of-all-these-hashtags/

https://www.globalwebindex.net/Stream-Social

http://www.jillceleste.com/3-simple-reasons-why-you-need-to-use-google-plus-for-personal-branding/

http://rebekahradice.com/dominate-your-personal-brand-using-google-plus/

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