Careering Tips Quick Read and Video Short
If you’re here for the first time, welcome. If you’re a return visitor, nice to have you back! Today, we’ll examine leadership skills you can pick up using your personal social media accounts. And how social media serves as an excellent space to learn and flex your leadership skills and “muscle.”
Most likely, you’re already on Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter—maybe even on YouTube, Pinterest or LinkedIn. You probably didn’t realize this, but from the very first decision you made about these accounts, you were making leadership moves. They include selecting the name and profile photo you ended up using to “represent” you.
Which brings me to a very important truth: Your social media presence can make or break your image in the eyes of an employer or college. Really and truly. In fact, we hear about it in the news all the time.
When managers and admissions teams are vetting candidates, they consider multiple factors. They not only review your list of accomplishments and GPA, but they also look at your social media accounts to get an idea of your character. It is a key reason why you should make sure your accounts are free of profanity and questionable images.
Understanding how your social media presence can affect your opportunities is a part of any good leader’s prime skillset. The reason is that good leaders make it their job to fully grasp the landscape they’re operating in.
So, if you’re “moving and shaking” in the land of social media, you’ll have to know how social media can potentially help AND hurt you.
The good news is that creating and managing your social media accounts is a big leadership move already! Here are three main reasons why…
Reason #1 – You understand the impact and importance of how you choose to present yourself online.
Reason #2 – You are being purposeful and mindful in how to show yourself in the best possible light.
And Reason #3 – You are being strategic, making crucial decisions, and taking action toward your identified vision and goals.
Yet, it’s equally important to maintain and advance your leadership savvy in the online world. Here are three additional moves you can take to ensure that you’re managing your personal accounts optimally:
Leadership Move #1 – Select the best verbiage and images to represent who you are. Good leaders try to ensure their organizations maintain good reputations. That is because having a good image helps them prosper. As the “leader” of your social media accounts, you’ll want to make sure they all have good reputations… so you’ll prosper as well. The good news is that you can start today!
Leadership Move #2 – Keep and maintain the peace. Good leaders try to ensure healthy, happy environments. The same goes for good leaders in social media. They maintain decorum by moderating posts to prevent people from bullying followers and friends. As a good leader, you’ll want to check your accounts regularly and make sure that everyone is being treated well.
If you see that someone is bullying others on your page, you’ll have to make a leadership decision about how to handle that. Your options may mean unfriending the individual… or otherwise finding ways to prevent them from posting hurtful content in the future.
Leadership Move #3 – Convert your social media leadership into a job or internship opportunity. Managing your own social media pages can help you practice skills that may apply well to prospective job or internship opportunities. A good place to apply these social media skills may be channels that your school or other organizations offer.
For example, perhaps your math club has a Facebook page that needs an administrator. They may be looking for someone who could post cool math-related stories, meeting notices, or details on club members winning awards. Being an administrator is a great leadership learning opportunity that you can add to your activities list on your college or job applications.
A takeaway for every high schooler is that listing social media leadership experience on your college and job applications is a skill that can make you stand out above the rest. As such, be sure to research and explore your options beyond what I’ve mentioned in this video.
This Careering Tips Quick Read and Video Short is intended to provide you guidance wherever you may be on your career exploration journey. For more great resources:
- Be sure to check out other “Career Exploration” and “Careering for Youth” blogs like this one;
- Subscribe to The IMC Leaders Channel on YouTube for the latest videos on Careering tips and techniques for young people like you on the move;
- Explore this website , learn more about me and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, Handle @TamaraSRaymond;
. . . PLUS check out the very best in Careering for Youth products and free resources today!
