If you are a contractor actively seeking new assignments then you might want to take a look at your online profile. When was the last time you actually thought about social media and how you use it and who might be looking at you online?
Social media has become part of everyday life. Increasingly recruitment agencies, employers, contract managers and anyone else involved in the process of deciding who is awarded a contract are looking online to find out more about the individuals they are hiring and working with.
The first thing we’d recommend is to think about the online presence you already have. Where are you visible online? Are you happy that your profiles gives the right impression to someone you would potentially like to work for? If not then it might be time for an online spring clean or even to think about a new approach!
Think about the things you post, the material you share and what sort of message it conveys about you. If you’ve ever taken to Facebook or Twitter to complain about the dreadful day you’ve just had at work (and let’s face it most people have!) then you might want to think twice about doing that again. Even if your moans were justified it doesn’t necessarily give the best impression.
Evidence of drunken behaviour, bad language and poor spelling or grammar can all create the wrong impression as can any jokes which could be viewed as being in poor taste. People often take to social media to share political views and opinions, of course everyone has the right to an opinion but often people share views on social media that they might not share quite so vocally in the workplace. Think before you post about how others might perceive what you are saying!
Some people have a LinkedIn profile for their professional life and want to keep their Facebook or Instagram profile completely separate, seeing those platforms as an extension of their social and personal life. That is absolutely fine but if that is the approach you want to take then check you have the right privacy settings in place and think about who you are friends with online.
Others view their social media profiles as marketing channels for their services and rather than worrying about privacy are keen to share information about work and services to a wide audience. Used effectively social media can help to build a strong professional network which helps many contractors to secure work.
Whether you want to embrace promoting yourself on social media or want to keep your online social presence protected the most important thing is to make sure you’ve thought about it. Always consider what others can see and what impression your online presence conveys. It could be the difference between securing or missing out on that next contract.
