Employability

Social Media

Digital Citizenship

Managing Your

Online IdentityAdvice for

school

leavers

By

Dr Helen

Dixon

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What is your online identity?

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‘In the future,

your “digital

footprint” will

carry far more

weight than

anything you

put on a

resume.”

Chris Betcher

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74% of managers look at candidates' Facebook,

Twitter and LinkedIn profiles to see if they

display behaviour that is unsuitable for the job

http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/news/startup/most-employers-check-social-media-before-hiring

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References to taking illegal drugs

Posts/tweets of a sexual nature

Profanity in posts/tweets

Spelling/grammar errors in posts/tweets

Pictures of alcohol consumption

Source: JobviteSocial Recruiting

Survey 2012

Top turn-offs for employers

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•With family, friends and peers

•With groups etc. you are interested in

•With educators and potential employersConnect

•The rights and beliefs of others

•The law

•Policies set out by your School and employersRespect

•Your personal details and privacy

•The privacy of friends and teachers

•Your future reputation and employabilityProtect

Being a digital citizen

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If you were to

post something

online that you

later regret,

what would

you do? @H

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Email, text or DM?

For formal communications,

emails are best

An informal tone may be

acceptable for text messages

but is often not appropriate for

emails @H

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Use DMs on social media rather

than posting publicly if you

want to discuss sensitive issues

or provide personal details

Email etiquette

• E.g. “Group assignment”Include a clear

subject line

• “Dear Professor Austen” or “Dear Mr Dickens”

• Avoid “Hey” or “Hiya”

Use professional salutations

• Don’t rely on spellcheck and beware of autocorrect!

Proofread your message carefully

• Add email address last and double-check that it is correct

• Use “Reply to all” with care!

Make sure you have selected the right

recipient

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Remember, emails and texts

may be forwarded to others

without your knowledge!

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• Avoid sexist, sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-disability or other offensive language

• Check privacy settings and restrict personal sites to friends only

• You’ll find useful advice in our Social Media Guide for Students

Before it even starts!

Don’t let social media ruin your career

Cleaning up your ‘digital dirt'

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Choose email addresses, Twitter

handles & profile images with

care!

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Is social media

dangerous?

Your selfies are

important!

• Don’t share TMI!Self-

control

• Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want your parents/teachers to see

Self-respect

• Don’t judge yourself on the number of likes you get or followers you have

Self-esteem

Don’t be

RECKLESS with

the reputation

of others

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And don’t feed

the trolls!

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Have you checked your Facebook

settings lately?

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Facebook tagging settings

Find out more about

tagging in Facebook

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You cannot change Facebook’s terms and

conditions with a status update!

Your password is like your

toothbrush

Choose a good one

Don’t share it

Change it regularly

If it’s online, it’s NOT private!

Source:

www.mirror.co.uk

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Make social media

WORK for you!

• Keep up with what’s happening within your

School or Universities you are interested in

• Research assignment topics

• Follow potential employers or influential

people

• Get involved in online discussions –

ask questions and respond to comments

to get yourself noticed!

• Think about creating a professional Social

Media profile (e.g. LinkedIn)

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Fix things on Facebook!

Use Twitter for research

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Plan your future on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/edu/

What will employers look for

in your online profile?

Academic achievements

Examples of written or

creative work

Transferable skills

Industry knowledge and

experience

Cultural fit

Be smart online!

• about the impact on you and othersTHINK

• posting photos of others, check that it’s OKBEFORE

• are responsible for anything you put onlineYOU

• content that shows off your skills and lets you shinePOST

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Find out more!

Taking control of your online reputation

Childnet Hub for young people

UK Safer Internet Centre resources for

young people

Bullying UK – What’s a cyber bully?

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