Keep it PRofessional on Social Media

As we know, social media is the perfect medium for networking and staying in contact with peers and colleagues. While we continue on the social media wave, I cannot stress enough on the importance of keeping it professional on your accounts. With the advancement of technology you have to be wise and careful on what you choose to share to the world.

Last week I attended a job interview and midway through the interview, the interviewer asked me to pull up all my social media accounts. Yes, this is a common request in interviews nowadays especially if you are in the Communications/PR field.

Wondering how to keep it professional on your social media accounts? The following are a few tips you can follow:

• Refrain from writing short hand- This tip goes particularly to Twitter seeing that it only permits us 140 characters for each tweet. Yes, its difficult to get your point across in such limited terms, but you can make every word count. Try rephrasing your words and get straight to the point. P.S stay away from writing"2" in place of "to." 

• Post with thoughtfulness- Be it Facebook, Instagram or Twitter you should post with care. With the screenshot features on smartphones nowadays this causes posts on social media to be permanent. As the saying goes "Prevention is better than Cure." So if you are hesitant on posting a picture or tweet, don't post it.

• Watch your language- Using obscenities or indecent language on your social media is not a good look; therefore be careful on your choice of words and expressions. 

As we work on capturing our dream jobs and goals, don't let social media be the cause of not receiving that aspiration. Including your personality and having humor on your social media are excellent qualities, but don't forget to keep it PRofessional.