Last week, Krista worked with GE to present at the University of Dayton’s “Campus to Career” special event program for about 200 female students. She gave a really well-received presentation on how to handle your personal and professional reputation online in 2013 – especially now that there are dozens of social networks out there and it’s getting harder and harder to keep track of yourself online.
Krista shared her presentation from the event on SlideShare and it’s embedded below, so be sure to look through it and make sure you’re doing everything you can to appear in the best possible light online. I’ve narrowed down some of the most important things to look out for when it comes to building your brand and managing your reputation online, so check out these tapes and make sure you are making the right choices on social networks!
#1: Google Yourself
In 2013, when you apply for any kind of job or internship, or set up a meeting with an important professional, the first thing they’re going to do is google you – do you know what’s showing up when a search is done for your name? You can control this by creating a LinkedIn and Twitter account, and perhaps a personal website or a blog. The ideal situation when a person googles you is for the first several links they see to be links to pages that you have control over. So make sure you have a solid foundation online that will demonstrate your talents and skills to people who are trying to learn about you.
#2: Assume Everything is Public
There have been too many horror stories to count of people publishing something on a social network about a client, coworker, or company and getting in trouble when it’s discovered. Even if you’re talking about your company and don’t directly mention their name or reference any of their social network accounts, people can always put 2 and 2 together. Everything you post online is public, and people WILL find it. So if you had a bad day at work, or have something to say about an interview you just went into, keep in mind that chances are, recruiters/bosses/companies/clients/colleagues/friends will always see it. Treat everything you post as if every person you know or have any connection to will see it.
#3: Set Expectations with Your Friends
Even if you are careful about what you share and post with the world, you also need to keep an eye on what your friends are sharing about you. If they tag you in a photo or a Facebook status, make sure it’s something that won’t put your professional life in jeopardy. You never know who’s friends with who and who will share what, so if you’re applying for jobs, or just trying to make your personal brand look more professional online, have a talk with your friends about what they’re sharing about you.
Following these 3 tips isn’t going to change everything for you online. It’s just a small step towards building up the right sort of reputation for yourself online. Remember to check out the rest of the presentation and think about what you should keep in mind from now on when you’re thinking about managing your online reputation!
Good information on social media reputation and thanks for sharing. Building reputation is very important, since most people would love to deal with people rather than companies.