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How to Perform a Social Media Cleanup Before a Job Search

Performing a social media cleanup has become an important part of the job search process. Whether you realize it or not, what you post online becomes part of your personal brand, and those pictures from that one summer camping trip you barely remember from your early 20s can come back to haunt you. Potential employers can and do check job candidates’ personal social media accounts, making social media etiquette an important factor to keep in mind. How you are portrayed online can affect an employer’s impression of you before you even meet face-to-face.

To begin a social media cleanup, run a Google search on yourself to see what a potential employer might find. It is likely that your various social media accounts will appear, which employers will look at to gain more insight into your personality, opinions, and lifestyle. This is where understanding how to present yourself professionally via personal branding and social media etiquette is important. Note: if you aren’t willing to change your online habits, consider changing your privacy settings to hide your activity.

Twitter

What to remove

Everyone needs to rant sometimes, and Twitter has become an outlet for many peoples’ pet peeves, strong opinions, and personal views. A well-worded tweet reflecting on a trending news story is one thing, but if an employer finds a Twitter account filled with complaints about work and coworkers, or repeated tweets to other companies in attempts to get free stuff, it might make the employer second-guess whether you’re a fit with the company. It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re presenting a good impression of yourself, and while the occasional cat meme is harmless enough, keep the vulgar language or pictures to a minimum.

How to remove a tweet

  1. Sign in to Twitter.
  2. Click on your profile.
  3. Choose the tweet you wish to delete, and select the ellipsis (“…”) at the bottom of the tweet itself to view more options.
  4. Select “Delete Tweet,” and confirm that you wish to delete it.

Personal branding

Personal branding on Twitter is easy because of the simplicity of the Twitter profile. Make sure you provide a professional profile picture that reflects you, your business, and your niche. For example, if you’re a hobby photographer, make sure your profile picture showcases your photography style. Your profile bio is limited to 160 characters, but you should remember to include the most relevant keywords associated with your personal brand or niche.

Take your time writing your bio, and make it interesting by being authentic and true to your lifestyle. You can also include hashtags in your bio that directly connect to aspects of your brand. Be sure to include your website address or link to another social media account. If an employer finds a well-presented Twitter profile highlighting your accomplishments and talents, the employer is more likely to gain a good first impression of your value as an employee.

Facebook

What to remove

Facebook can be especially problematic because so many people have used the social network for years, and it is possible to be tagged in posts and pictures that you may not have written or posted. Social etiquette has changed over the years, depending on what stage of life you were in when you began using social media. For many millennials who opened their first Facebook account nearly a decade ago, this makes a social media cleanup essential.

It may be a good idea to remove or hide any questionable pictures from your college or university days. (You know—the ones that feature beer bottles and strange outfits.) It’s also a good idea to scan your status updates, shares, and posts to remove anything too extreme; you want to make sure your rant about ignorant people or that post including a video of Kim Kardashian selfies isn’t the first thing a potential employer sees. On Facebook, much of this information can also be hidden instead of deleted.

How to remove or hide pictures and posts

Photo Albums

  1. Log in to your Facebook account, and go to your profile.
  2. Select the Photos tab.
  3. Select the Albums tab.
  4. You can make the photo album private from the Settings menu in the bottom right-hand corner of each album.
  5. You can delete an album by clicking on the album and choosing to delete it from the Settings tab in the top right-hand corner.
  6. Confirm that you want to delete the album.

Pictures

  1. Log in to your Facebook account, and go to your profile.
  2. Select the Photos tab.
  3. You can delete photos individually by going to the Photos tab (for all photos you have uploaded to an album or your timeline) or by searching for them in the Albums tab. To delete, hover over a photo, and select Delete This Photo from the Edit option found in the top right-hand corner.

4. Confirm that you want to delete the picture.

5. To hide the picture, choose the option Hide from Timeline.You can remove yourself from pictures in which others have tagged you by hovering over the photo and choosing the Remove Tag option from the Edit feature found in the top right-hand corner.

Status Updates and Posts

  1. Log in to your Facebook account, and go to your profile.
  2. Scroll down your timeline, and find the post or status update you wish to remove.
  3. Select the downward arrow in the top right-hand corner of your post, and select Delete.
  4. Confirm that you want to delete the post.
  5. To hide a status or post, select the Hide from Timeline option from the same menu.

Personal branding

Personal branding on Facebook is not something many people think about in relation to their personal accounts. But Facebook can work for you both personally and professionally. Make sure you present a professional profile picture and cover image. This doesn’t mean they have to be stuffy or formal, but high-quality, appropriate photos will significantly contribute to others’ impressions of you.

Fill in all of your professional information—potential employers might check this against your application. Follow groups and pages that relate to who you are and your interests; presenting the most authentic version of yourself online is a key part of personal branding. Be aware of what you post on Facebook, and perhaps substitute that extra cute cat mash-up video for a think piece on something about which you are passionate.

Instagram

What to remove

Like Facebook, you might want to consider a social media cleanup of your Instagram feed, considering that the two platforms are so closely intertwined (and that Instagram is now owned by Facebook). Remove any questionable photos that may not show you in the best light if an employer were to stumble across them, or you can set your account to private. Removing any off-color quotes or images is also an important aspect of social media etiquette.

How to remove

  1. Log in to Instagram on your phone or tablet—pictures cannot be deleted from the computer dashboard.
  2. Go to your profile.
  3. Select the photo you wish to delete.
  4. View more options by selecting the ellipsis (“. . .”).
  5. Select Delete from the Options menu.
  6. Confirm that you wish to delete the photo.

Personal branding

Instagram has become a significant platform for personal branding. To utilize the app to its best potential, upload a professional profile picture, and really consider what you post. You are more likely to gain followers if your images are edited in a similar manner so that the photos flow together nicely or have the same aesthetic. Try to showcase photos that you have taken yourself that reveal who you are and what your lifestyle is like in an authentic way.

Conclusion

The key to knowing what to post on social media, especially when embarking on a job search, is to consider each post from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know you. Ask yourself, “If this one post were the only thing somebody knew about me, how would I come across?”

Even though your friends and family may know that a certain status update is meant to be sarcastic or that you only use the word totes ironically (s-u-u-ure), remember that potential employers don’t know you well and are still in the process of forming their opinions about you. Make sure your social media accounts help them form accurate and positive opinions that reassure them of your professionalism and reliability.

 

Top 7 Project Management Tools

Keep Track Of Your Resources with Project Management Tools

When you start a new project, you need to allocate money, supplies, and personnel to the task and then keep track of progress and the budget as you go along. Most people assume that only large projects, such as building a bridge or developing a new product, require project management, but even small, one-man projects need to be tracked. Any task that does not fall into the regular day-to-day operations of a business should be regarded as an individual project. You may think that applying project management strictures to the activities of your small business wastes time and money, but don’t worry. There are a number of project management tools available on the market to help entrepreneurs and their teams successfully plan and track activities.

1) Wrike

When you start a project, you need to define each of the tasks required to get through the work and order these jobs. You will find that some tasks depend on the completion, or partial completion, of other tasks, and at that point, planning the project on paper can become complicated. Wrike is a comprehensive project management tool that enables you to plan your tasks, allocate funds and team members to each, and organize a schedule.

The ability to keep track of the interdependency of tasks and adjust start and end times in the face of unexpected circumstances are some of the main benefits of using a project management tool. You assemble your team in the Wrike environment and then log communications with them. Wrike integrates with a range of third-party utilities, including Word, Gmail, and Google Drive, so you can keep using the programs with which you are already familiar.

2) Huddle

One important aspect of teamwork is that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. These days, projects often involve team members who are on the move or telecommuting. Making sure all important documents are circulated to all members when they are updated can become a nightmare without a project management tool.

Huddle is centered on a document store that is saved on the cloud, so remote team members can access the same version of a file even if your office computer is down for maintenance. Some have concerns about the security of documents stored and accessed remotely, but the strength of Huddle’s security is illustrated by its customer list, which includes NASA, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the UK’s Ministry of Justice.

3) Thrive Solo

Thrive Solo is specifically designed for the independent consultant or freelancer. The user of this project management tool is likely to be an outsourced project team member who needs to keep track of his or her own time and goals to bill the hiring company. This is a very stylish tool that produces productivity reports and business documents, such as invoices. Style does not substitute for substance with this project management tool, however, and you may find that you end up relying on Thrive Solo for your entire business management, not just for projects.

4) Evernote

Evernote is a document management system. You can collect notes, plans, and designs; store them together; and then access them remotely from a mobile device. As shared documentation is a central feature of any project involving a team, it is possible to use Evernote as a project management tool. To implement this strategy, you would need to sign up for the Evernote Business package, which costs US $10 per user per month.

5) Flowdock

You would think that a product called “Flowdock” is centered on flow charts. However, this project management tool focuses on collaboration. It is a chat system, such as MSN Messenger or Skype. The purpose of Flowdock is to enable a scattered team to communicate by messaging a group or an individual. The style and syntax of Flowdock is a lot like Twitter, and it is particularly designed to facilitate access from smartphones. The second main feature of the tool is a central document store.

6) Redbooth

Like Flowdock, Redbooth is a collaboration tool, and it emphasizes communication services. It is based on a chat system and central document store. You can choose to have the system hosted or installed on your own company server. If you already have cloud storage with systems such as Google Drive or Dropbox, you can integrate these into your Redbooth project management tool. Redbooth can also integrate with Evernote.

7) activeCollab

Probably the most comprehensive project management tool on this list, activeCollab contains extensive project planning and scheduling features that are usually found only in the most expensive, big-business packages. Like all project management tools, the system includes a central document store. However, activeCollab is not as friendly as Flowdock or Redbooth for instant communication. This system relies on email rather than chat for the collaboration functions of project management.

In terms of document and analysis generation, activeCollab could be considered a team version of Thrive Solo because it generates time sheets, invoices, and budget reports with ease. It stands to reason, then, that activeCollab should be the most expensive project management tool on this list. In fact, the cloud-based version is half the price of Wrike, and the self-hosted version requires a one-time fee of US $499, which is not excessive, given all the package’s features.

Right sizing

Your choice of project management tool will depend on the size of the project you are undertaking and the size of your enterprise. If you are a sole trader and you just want to keep track of all related documents for a project, then the single-user version of Evernote is probably the best option for you—it’s free. To kick things up a notch, the independent consultant might want to invest in the slick presentation and comprehensive time tracking of Thrive Solo. A team manager who just wants to keep in touch with the contributors to the project would be more interested in Flowdock or Redbooth.

To maximize the advantages of a project management tool, you should focus on Wrike and activeCollab. Modern life is complicated, and business these days is cutthroat. A project management tool will help you keep track of your work and keep costs and deadlines under control.

The Ultimate CRM Tools List

Customer Relationship Management systems are available for small businesses

Customer relationship management, or CRM, is the process of centralizing customer data so that it can be shared among sales, after-sales, and customer support departments. All the big corporations invest millions in CRM systems, which gives them a marketing edge. However, the emergence of smaller, cheaper online CRM systems means that small businesses can now compete on a level playing field and offer the same type of customer tracking that benefits the big boys. You do not have to be a web-based business to use these systems. This review will highlight a range of CRM tools currently available on the web.

1) HubSpot

HubSpot is a producer of digital marketing software. Its products mainly focus on website design and search engine optimization. It has recently been working on its Sales Platform, which includes a CRM tool. The first part of the Sales Platform at HubSpot is called Sidekick, which is an email contact management tool. You can get many CRM features just by using Sidekick, because it includes the ability to make notes in the email contact entry for each customer. The Sidekick analysis reports also track what emails went to which customers and what the customer’s response was to each email. HubSpot is now adding on a CRM package that will integrate with Sidekick, although it isn’t available yet. You can sign up to get HubSpot CRM on its release, and if you are already a Sidekick user, you will get access to the CRM tool ahead of the general public.

2) Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce Sales Cloud is focused on supporting sales opportunities. The main feature of the system is a mobile app that allows a sales team to coordinate its efforts at responding to leads while out in the field. The CRM tool embedded in the Sales Cloud is a customer contact database. The product is a little light on tools for customer services and marketing functions normally associated with CRM systems. It does, however, integrate social media signals into its presentation to the sales team.

3) Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM, like Salesforce Sales Cloud, is more focused on lead conversion than customer support. Also, like Salesforce Sales Cloud, the Zoho CRM tool extends to a mobile app to support a sales team on the move. If you are interested only in CRM to support your sales team, which would probably be more in the realm of B2B sales, Zoho CRM might be the perfect solution for your needs.

4) Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft’s package covers time scheduling and appointments for sales staff and a central contact database. There is also a billing mechanism and a shopping cart and payment-processing function for online businesses included with the CRM tool. The Infusionsoft system includes integrated email functions that enable a sales campaign to be carried out over a series of emails. These campaigns can be tailored to contact groups, and the system gathers responses to these mail shots. You can grade leads in the customer profile module, generate quotes and orders, and email them out. Like Salesforce Sales Cloud and Zoho CRM, Infusionsoft is accessible from smartphones.

5) Hatchbuck

Hatchbuck stresses its simplicity and ease of use. It has many fewer features than do CRM tools such as Salesforce Sales Cloud, but it is cheaper. The system is centered on a sales and marketing analysis tool, and it integrates with email to enable email campaigns. The CRM focus of the system is a contact database that includes a panel to record contact with the customer. This product offers no whizzy mobile access.

6) NetSuite CRM+

NetSuite produces a range of business software, including entity resource planning (ERP) systems, which track financial data through an organization. It also produces a CRM tool called NetSuite CRM +. NetSuite’s profile is similar to big software houses such as Oracle and SAP that produce CRM systems for multinationals as add-ons to their ERP systems. The NetSuite system has all the bells and whistles of a big business system, so if you are just starting out as a small business, you may find this option a little over-comprehensive. A small business on the verge of breaking through to middle size would probably benefit most from a boost to employee productivity from this package. A one-man band or a mom-and-pop business probably wouldn’t have enough hands or hours in the day to fully exploit all the features of this CRM tool.

7) Infor CRM

Infor is very similar to NetSuite in that the company produces ERP systems and other corporate software with which its CRM tool can interact. The company offers a series of modules to build up a tailored CRM package, so you need to read through all the options on the company’s CRM page.

8) LeadMaster CRM Services

LeadMaster is a software consultancy that specializes in CRM systems. The company offers to produce a customized CRM tool for your enterprise, which is the path usually taken by big corporations. If you are a very small business, you may find this option too costly to consider.

Options

Small businesses range from sole traders to relatively large organizations with many employees and assets. Whether you have a sales force, a marketing team, an accounts department, or a website will dictate which of the above solutions is the right CRM tool for you.

 

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