You often think that why certain career experts admonish you to keep the pictures of your drunken exploits off your social media accounts. Isn’t the reason quite clear on the surface?
With the advent of social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the world has become a smaller place to reach out to. It sure is a boon, but needs to be used in an utmost responsible manner as well. Of course, it seems like the most rudimentary of advices, but is left unheeded nevertheless.
Your existing recruiter might not be stalking you on Twitter or Instagram for that matter of fact, but a bad post brought to their attention can pretty much spill the marmalade for you. Hence, given below are 6 such social media habits and mistakes you should avoid to save your career.
6 Social Media Habits That Are Smothering Your Career
1. Being Inconsistent With Your Opinions
It’s often observed that the most efficient social media accounts are those with a firm and consistent viewpoint towards things. The agenda can vary from a funny comic strip to a controversial or political debate, all you need is to stick with a single side. Trying to sound like an imposter who fakes his opinion over things online, will never help you entice clients who might’ve been a good fit for your company.
2. When Your Profile Seems ‘Unbalanced’
It’s quit imperative to consider the nature of connections you’re fostering through your social media accounts. It might just happen that it’s a blend of both professional as well as personal friends. But make sure that you’re not perceived as ‘party animal’ instead of a dependable professional.
The most crucial thing determining the build efficiency of your social media profiles is the content you post or upload. The ratio of ‘non-work related content’ in your feed also demonstrates your seriousness (or non-seriousness rather!) towards the profession. An effective way to manage such content is keeping the amount of personal, informational and promotional posts equal.
3. Promoting Your Brand- Like Every time!
Yes, it’s quite an effective technique to promote your brand on various social media pages. But, circling your entire routine around brand promotion would only fetch you peanuts. This might be your big chances to interact and communicate with industry experts, to learn more and brighten your future prospects. However, it often becomes complex for people to socially mingle with the ones who’re all work and no play.
4. Speaking Ill about Clients or Others
Who hasn’t encountered negative experiences?
Everybody has had that one client who used to drive us to the brink of an eruption and tested our patience. However, no matter how annoying or irritating the client may be, it’s your job to keep your cool and refrain from any such activity like badmouthing them online. Nobody else’s but your reputation will be at stake and those screening you might just drop the idea, watching you blurt out in anger, that too publicly!
5. Posting Job Search Updates While in Your Present Job
It’s quite understandable that you should always have a ‘Plan B’ in place and hence the need of a job offer in reserve. However, making this public with no respect for your present employer would only fester things and hurt your professional image. Even if you are doing some work in the same regard, try and keep things as quiet as possible.
6. Choosing the Wrong Timing to Upload Content
One of the commonest mistakes committed by employees using social media, is choosing the wrong timing for doing so. Being time-stamped, your employer can easily make out that you’ve been regularly passing time on Facebook or Twitter while working hours, hence hampering your work productivity and professional stature. If not your boss, you might just fall short to skip the vindictive trap of your jealous co-workers. Hence, play safe and choose the right time!
Hacks are a zillion to be unleashed, but staying careful is imperative at the same time. Hence, all you need is to keep the aforementioned tips in mind and the rest will make the right fit, by itself!
See also: Find Your Career With Social Media
