Using social media for self-promotion

When job hunting, it is important to ensure your ‘social presence’ portrays the image you want to present in a professional capacity. Many prospective employers will look you up on social media platforms prior to interviewing you, while it’s perfectly acceptable to have a life outside of your profession, you don’t want a potential employer to be put off interviewing from anything you’ve posted online.

Think of social media as a powerful self-promotion tool, make sure that you have used security settings appropriately or that any information you do share publicly can be termed as ‘clean’. By this we mean photos, language used and any expressions of views or political interest if they could potentially be considered as offensive.

LinkedIn is one of the most valuable social tools in your search for your dream job – it’s the go to platform for recruiters, head-hunters and prospective employers alike. So how do you use this to your advantage? Well, first things first let’s discuss your profile image.

In the age of the ‘selfie’ it can be very easy to lose perspective on what is and isn’t crossing professional boundaries. If hiring a professional photographer isn’t a possibility, and you are attempting to take your own professional selfie, take our tips into account:

1. Dress to impress – you should be in professional attire, or something that is appropriate for the profession/role
2. Stay up to date – we’re all guilty of keeping a photograph for a year or two longer than we should, but it’s important that people can recognise you from your picture
3. Use a proper camera – high quality images will look far more professional when published or uploaded to professional sites. If you do decide to use a smart phone, remember the back lens is usually higher quality than the front.
4. Keep it simple – stand against a plain wall or background.
5. Natural lighting – it’s always best to take the photo in a room with plenty of natural light, a sunny day if possible but watch out for shadows in the final shot.
6. Strike a pose – not unlike taking a selfie for social media, try taking a few different photos from slightly different angles to determine the most flattering option and produce a photo you are confident with. Try to be natural and relaxed to achieve a better photo.

Remember, when looking to present yourself to prospective employers, colleagues, clients or any business environment, a typical, informal selfie is rarely appropriate. However, a well-executed professional selfie will help convey a small part of your personality that you want to present in your professional life.

Now we’ve covered professional photography, check back next time on our blog when we’ll be exploring tips on how to write an effective LinkedIn profile.

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