Common Pitfalls of Social Media that Could Damage Your Professional Image
Outfront Magazine
by Sara Canaday
Anyone with a computer and a job has felt the powerful pull of today’s brave new world of “social media” including online networking sites that allow you to expand upon personal and professional connections. But, just as you would with any powerful medium, social media users should proceed with caution.
The myriad of social media programs is growing every day. From blogging to linking to connecting, they all allow you the opportunity to grow your personal and professional life. But with those opportunities come risks: namely, the possibility of muddying your hard-won professional image and reputation.
While many of us are careful about projecting a polished, credible, and professional image, social media activities – as their name implies – can blur the line between the personal and the professional, creating opportunities to misrepresent ourselves to potential clients, employers, or colleagues.
Common Pitfalls
Promiscuous Linking
You compete for the highest number of connections without regard for who you’re adding to your network.
Some people treat online networking programs like a high school popularity contest: the more connections you have, the better you must be. But do you really know who you are inviting into your network? If not, you may be adding someone with a less-than-favorable reputation in your community, industry, or network.
And don’t underestimate the impact you might have by inviting someone who doesn’t recognize you. They may be turned-off or just plain creeped-out. What will their reaction be should they hear your name mentioned in the future? As a good rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t feel comfortable calling someone on the phone, then don’t do it online.
Over-Sharing Your Personal Preferences
Your personal blog, family Web site, political affiliations, and favorite bookmarks are all a Google-search away from the public eye.
Certainly, everyone has a right to their own opinions, hobbies, and personal lives. And social media are great tools for expanding and exploring in those arenas. But pay close attention to how accessible your personal life is to those who are interested in you professionally.
Are you publicly bookmarking political sites, or favorite blogs on topics like addiction or depression that only your family and closest friends should be privy to? If you deal with “third-rail” topics that you wouldn’t mention in a professional setting, make sure you keep them sequestered. Develop separate accounts and usernames for those items that should remain personal, if not private.
“I Found You On www.IHateEverything.com”
You comment on controversial blogs and message boards, and routinely write scathing op ed pieces online, leaving your e-mail address and full name.
Consider your trail of breadcrumbs: Could someone follow your comments from a polarizing blog back to your professional Web site or even your company’s? How would you feel if you sat down for an interview only to see the pictures of you at your friend’s Fourth of July “kegger” printed out in front of your potential employer?
All of your online activity leaves a trail, and you should be careful where that trail leads. Once you’ve posted something, it cannot be taken back. Even if you control the site and can delete it, you cannot control who saw it or how they might have saved that information.
Even legitimate, professionally-related comments or posts can leave the wrong impression if someone reads them out of context. Just like the person who meets you for the first time after a hideous morning of mishaps, well-intentioned people can still give the wrong first impression.
Sloppy Sites
You would never show up to a meeting un-showered in yesterday’s rumpled clothes – yet your professional sites are filled to the brim with misspellings, slang, and a serious lack of punctuation.
Used for professional purposes, social media can be incredibly useful and great tools for moving you or your company forward.
If you’re using these sites professionally, make sure they represent you in the same light you strive for in your physical appearance and demeanor. Aside from actual mistakes, also pay attention to your tone and attitude. Sure, you may be witty, but if your posts or comments are predominantly scathing or complaining, people will assume that you’re a generally unhappy, dissatisfied, or even angry individual.
Next Steps
Give some good thought to the particular programs and tools you’d like to use, both personally and professionally. Then consider creating and maintaining completely separate accounts, usernames, or other identifying markers. Again – no one is saying you shouldn’t do all of the things you enjoy doing through these outlets. Just be mindful of how you do it.
Even if you do your best, occasionally, there will be a slip-up – a hastily-posted comment or just the right combination of search words that leads a professional contact to your personal circles. Don’t beat yourself up too much. Chances are, you can explain that you try your best to separate work and play and leave it at that.
Damage Control and Image Clean-Up
Perhaps you recognized yourself in some of these descriptions. What now? How can you go about fixing some of these common missteps?
The first approach is also the most obvious: Delete the offending material or connections. This is easier said than done. If you have direct access to the item, you can delete it yourself. If someone else is in control of the content, approach them in the most polite fashion possible and ask them to remove the content.
If these fail, there are companies, like ReputationDefender and ReputationHawk, that specialize in cleaning up your online presence. But they can be pricey, laborious, and time-consuming.
In the End
As with nearly everything in life, social media should be used judiciously. Don’t let yourself get too overwhelmed, but do pay attention to how you’re presenting yourself to the world at large. And always make sure the benefits you glean from these powerful tools outweighs the risk. Go forth and connect!
Austin Business District
By Sara Canaday
You’ve no doubt heard about the importance of making a good first impression, and you may even rehearse what you’re going to say to people when meeting them for the first time. But you may not know a startling fact about first impressions – they’re often made before you even get a chance to speak!
Studies show that first impressions are made and set within the first 30 seconds of an encounter. On top of that, more than 70 percent of communication is non-verbal, meaning the tone of your voice, your gestures, and the image you project is saying more about you than the words you’re carefully choosing.
That’s why it’s important to think about your professional image. Though not always a comfortable topic, the fact is we judge and are being judged by others based on appearances and other non-verbal cues. It’s human nature! Here are a few basic tips on how to make this work for you.
Dress for impact. As you assemble your wardrobe, think about your industry and your role within your company. If you’re in the finance, banking, insurance, or legal fields, a conservative, high-quality suit (or tone-on-tone separates) in black, charcoal, or navy will underscore your professionalism, power, and credibility. That same look on an advertising professional, however, might distract clients who are expecting a more innovative look. For professionals in more creative fields, a well-coordinated ensemble with interesting ornamentation or accessories can better project creativity.
Don’t give in to trends. You don’t have to buy the latest fashions to make an impact. In fact, if the latest fashions are geared toward celebrities and younger shoppers, it’s probably not helping you project the image of a professional adult. I advise my clients to start with a few time-tested basics, including tailored jackets, which add class and sophistication to an ensemble. You can then integrate trendier items to accentuate the timeless pieces anchoring your wardrobe.
Think comfort. It’s worth the expense to find well-cut and well-sized items from good fabrics, even if it means finding a tailor to help make your clothes fit perfectly. The more comfortable you are in your clothes, the more confidence you’ll project. Beware of denim or casual knit fabrics, though – you don’t want to project that you’re soft, playful, or too laid-back.
It’s not just about the clothes. While smart wardrobe choices can make an impact, remember that a new hairstyle, new eyewear, and accessories like purses and jewelry can also go a long way toward projecting the kind of smart, confident image you want.
While you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, it’s also never too late to reinvent yourself. As you meet new people, and reintroduce yourself to those you’ve met before, remember that a refined self-image can give you additional confidence, which will communicate volumes even before you say a single word.
San Antonio Express-News
by Dave Beck
When we think of how others perceive us, the tendency is to think about the things we say and whether we appear smart or knowledgeable.
Our perceptions of other people actually are rooted more in emotion than intellect. In fact, there is growing interest in the effect that emotional competencies — such as understanding how to relate to others, to manage emotions and, perhaps most importantly, to remain optimistic and motivated even when a situation becomes stressful — can have on the workplace. Proponents of a term coined the "emotional quotient" contend it is a better predictor of workplace success than the intelligence quotient, or IQ.
One such proponent is Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Mean More Than IQ." Goleman explores the importance of mastering your emotions in the workplace, making the case that people's emotional quotient, or "EQ," is the best barometer of their success.
The emotional quotient measures a person's emotional intelligence, defined as a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies and skills that determine how well we understand and express ourselves, understand and relate with others, and cope with daily demands.
Sara Canaday, an Austin-based communication and image consultant who earned her MBA at the University of the Incarnate Word, is another proponent of EQ as the leading gauge of a person's business success.
"Emotional intelligence in the workplace is critical in dealing with co-workers and engaging in high-performance teamwork," Canaday says. "It is essential for effective leadership and management."
Canaday notes that those who are successful in the workplace often have high EQs. In fact, just being aware of one's emotional intelligence can be valuable to workplace performance. She suggests that a person's EQ is determined by a number of traits, including:
Canaday offers clients a 125-question assessment to help determine emotional intelligence. From this assessment, people not only can determine their EQ, but also can gauge their strengths and weaknesses in various areas that make up emotional intelligence, predict their ability to cope with stressors and start on strategies to address areas for improvement.
As you can imagine, this is helpful information for managers to use in developing work teams. In areas where employees are dealing with customers on a routine basis — customer service and sales immediately come to mind — having an employee with a high EQ engaged with customers is especially valuable. Whether EQ profiling is used in the hiring process or in assessment of current staff, it can give managers a better idea of how each employee or potential employee will perform in certain roles.
Even if employees are not dealing with customers routinely, their adaptability and ability to cope with stress are crucial to any position in any company. People with high EQs not only have the ability to deal with stress and to adapt to change; they also have the interpersonal skills to help others who are not as adept at coping.
Canaday notes that a person's emotional quotient is not a fixed number that stays with a person forever. She offers tips for people who want to learn about EQ and suspect they could increase their own emotional intelligence:
Take advantage of research. For Web readers, the Internet offers a wealth of information. An excellent follow-up to Goleman's Emotional Intelligence is his "Working With Emotional Intelligence." His sequel includes analyses by dozens of experts in Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations worldwide who conclude that emotional intelligence is the gauge of excellence on virtually any job. Real-life examples demonstrate lessons learned from business-world successes and failures.
Be aware of your how others perceive you. So much of what you communicate is through nonverbal cues such as tone of voice, gesture and facial expressions. Your demeanor is likely the initial impression that customers, clients and co-workers have of you when you're meeting for the first time. Any interaction you have with anyone, regardless of whether it's the first or 1,000th time, will include others' assessment of your nonverbal communication.
Commit to improvement. You can improve your emotional intelligence only if you choose to do so and then make the commitment to tackle areas for growth. A consultant can be particularly useful in this process by giving feedback. It takes work, but the improvement to your personal outlook is well worth the effort.
The EQ might not be as well-known as the IQ yet, but the EQ measurement is an undeniably important facet of what makes an employee valuable, what makes a business relationship work and what keeps customers coming back.
Smiling more often might not raise your IQ. But mastering your emotions at work and improving your rapport with colleagues are smart ways to increase your chance for business success. ________________________________________
dbeck@express-news.net; Dave Beck is president, chief business banking officer at Frost Bank.