Creating Social Media accounts

A professional social media account is a profile on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, among others. That exists to represent your professional identity online. It can be an opportunity to reach out to other people in your industry, share insights, show your work, and build your personal brand.

• Profile Picture: Use a professional-level photo where you're appropriately dressed for your industry. It's likely the first impression that people will have of you.

• Bio/Headline: Write a short, factual bio where you mention your current role, what your expertise is in, and over what industry. This should denote your professional identity and interests.

• Content: Share and comment on material related to your industry. Some of this can be articles, insights, or personal achievements. Avoid topics that are controversial or high-level personal, as they don't relate to your professional identity.

• Networking: Connect with colleagues, industry leaders, and organizations and review their material by liking, commenting, or sharing posts that are connected to your professional ambitions.

• Add your skills on platforms like LinkedIn and ask your colleagues or mentors to endorse you to increase your credibility.

• Consistency: Update your account regularly with updates, articles, or interactions with others. Consistently, stay in the limelight and relevant.

• Privacy Settings: Set the privacy settings on your account so that you can view what is visible to the general public. Keep your personal and professional lives segregated online.

• Professionalism is always communicated professionally, even in informal interactions. Any social media presence needs to be as professional as you would be in the person-to-person setting.