Your personal social media strategy

As much as companies need a social media strategy, you could use a personal social media strategy. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? It’s not really, but it could save you some heartache down the line.

I read an article on CNN about the Dos and Don’ts of Social Networking. I thought I might critique the article and throw in a few more suggestions.

22 per cent of employers check social media sites

If you’re in job search mode, the article suggests that you don’t advertise that fact if you are already employed. That’s pretty much common sense, isn’t it? There must be a few people out there who didn’t think word would get back to their boss.

You can limit profile access to only those on your friends list in Facebook. Make sure you do that to keep prying eyes out, particularly if your friends like to post pictures of your weekend antics and tag you in them.

Another thing to consider is that some of your friends might not be such good friends. You know the old adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? If you think your updates on Twitter, Facebook or other social media are protected, well, they just might be. What’s to stop those select “friends” to look at your Tweets or status updates as an opportunity to send you to the unemployment line?

It’s not all negative. Apparently a quarter of those potential employers liked what they found and that information has convinced them to hire based on what they’ve found.

Update your profile regularly

Provided you have your profiles open for public view, this is good advice. Really, it’s good advice for anyone. If it’s out of date, people wonder how much you care about your presence online. You are your best public relations person, so treat it that way.

An important part of your personal social media strategy should involve keeping things up to date and keeping on top of social media trends.

Make sure your information is accurate, and don’t go badmouthing anyone. No, not even if they deserve it. I suppose there might be good reasons to do it, but think about how future employers might view that. You think a potential employer might not want to hire you because they think you might do the same to them?

Don’t be like many companies that establish a token presence and then forget about it. Pick a few social media sites you’ll do well.

If you are in job hunt mode, LinkedIn is like an online resume. It can also help to advertise your current employer, so it’s good for everyone.

Keep your friends list private

I thought this was one of the most interesting points of the article. And, it’s so obvious!
“Connecting to five people at Company XYZ after a day of vacation is a sure sign you are interviewing.”

I’ve opted to keep my friends lists open. Social media is an important part of my business and my personal social media strategy.

In the interests of openness, why not keep your list open but don’t add a pile of people from companies who may be interviewing you?

Cleaning up the dirt

If you’ve got a closed profile and protected updates, it might not be such a worry. On Google it might be tougher. I would advise against running your updates through any type of RSS feed like Friend Feed if you’re really worried. You could have a closed profile but effectively open it up that way.

If you have negative Google results, there’s probably not much you can do to eliminate them. What might work is to get your name out there as much as possible to drive negative results down as far as possible. Rely on employers to not be thorough and go 10 pages in when searching your name. Blog commenting works well for this.

Sometimes there’s nothing you can do to eliminate past mistakes. The best public relations strategy is to deal with negative news preemptively and directly. If you volunteer a negative item that someone might just run across on their own, they might appreciate the honesty.

Thinking about it another way, do you really want to work for someone who would hold a minor indiscretion against you?

It’s always easier to have a successful personal social media strategy when you’ve minimized any problems or simply avoided them in the first place.

Social networking as a job search tool

If you’re already out of work, social networking sites can be powerful allies. I know from experience that sites like Twitter and Facebook can bring you job opportunities and support. It really depends on how big your network is.

Don’t just look at your social network as a job bank though. It is the kind of thing you only want to use when you have to. Don’t pester your network so much they begin avoiding you like an insurance salesman.

What message are you sending?

While this article and my suggestions are general advice on how to approach your personal social media strategy, it’s really an individual thing.

When I talk to companies about their public relations and Internet marketing, I have to tailor it to their unique attributes. That’s how you should treat your personal social media strategy.

You should ask yourself, what message are you sending? Ask those around you to have a look at your online presence. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know you and analyze everything.

Is it consistent with the message you’d like to send? Are your Google results acceptable? If not, take the time to start cleaning everything up.

Do I really need a personal social media strategy?

It seems rather mercenary to view your social networking in this way, but potential employers are, so you ought to as well. Just be prepared for the consequences if you’re posting pictures of your weekend escapades or Tweeting that you’re in job search mode.

Developing a basic personal social media strategy might be the best way to land that next job, business opportunity or simply to elevate your profile in your industry. You are always a good investment.

Alain Saffel