Do's and Don'ts of increasing your credibility & professionalism

Do’s
Be respectful and courteous towards others
Stay positive and upbeat
Choose a professional image for your social networking sites
If the social site requires a biography make sure your info is appropriate. Write something that that would impress an employer
Post content to your social networking site that pertains to your professional interest
Keep a polite tone to your social sites
Speak professionally

Don’ts
Have a negative attitude
Unprofessional body language (i.e. yawning without covering your mouth, chewing gum)
Excessive fragrance
Come into work late
Post pictures of the frat party you went to last night to your social sites
Complain about your job on your social sites


Social networking can be a positive experence if you follow the do’s listed above. It can be a negative experence and ruin your chances of landing the job you want if your social sites are unprofessional. Social networking sites have some very strict privacy settings and you can either let the world see your profile or let no one see. You are in control. If you want to use your social networking site as a way to connect to other professionals than you can keep it public and post your professional images. However, if you want to keep it for your social life only than make sure all your settings are set so only your friends can see your profile.

How To Develop Your Online Identity

It’s 2010 and it appears as though most companies and people have “gotten with the times.” It seems as though everything is done over the internet anymore. No more snail mail there is now email, no more calling your friends to see what they are up to for the weekend you just check out their latest status update on Facebook, no more developing film instead pictures of you are being posted on the internet. Because of all of the above building a positive online reputation is more important now than it ever has been.

When some people (not me) Google their name some pretty bad stuff can show up. If it is in fact you, you need to see what you can do about getting those bad images or writings about you off the internet. It may entail contacting the sight owner. Some may have to go to the extreme of getting a lawyer involved if it is slander in nature.

If some of the Google findings aren’t you then you need to create a strong brand to associate with your name so whoever searches you in Google knows the difference between you and everyone else that shares your name.
Every person I know has a Facebook, Myspace and/or a Twitter account. Make sure that any and all of your social networking sites like these reflect the level of security you need. You don’t want those frat party pictures popping up on the recruiters monitor.

According to www.thepersonalbrandingblog.com a study was done by Execunet, 87% of recruiters and hiring manager DO Google potential candidates and 45% of them will eliminate candidates based on their findings. Don’t be that 45%.