Fake It Till You Make It..

I am getting prepared for my interview at Sick Kid's tomorrow for their Internal Communications Intern position. I'm trying to put together a portfolio that will effectively show my talents and impress them while thinking about what I can say that will make me seem like the perfect choice for the position. I'm pretty nervous, actually.

My mind keeps going off on a tangent, however, since I can't ignore that piles of school work that awaits me these last two weeks of classes (this blog being one component!) So I can't help but think of how putting together a professional profile and image has encroached on students just being students on social media. It's funny, but in a way, social media forces the graduating student to take that step back and adjust how the public sees them - because as we have all learned in the CC&PR program, those professionals will be looking. We are forced to grow up (at least in the public eye.)

No longer can we ignore Facebook's privacy settings or tweet whatever we want without it being protected. Any potential employer can look you up Facebook and Twitter and get an impression of you. And God help you if somebody has posted something awful of yours or about you on the Internet. In that case, Google is definitely not your friend.

So how do we separate being professional and being ourselves? Clearly, we still want to post pictures of nights out with friends and send ridiculous messages to each other. We want to update our status to what we really feel, not just what a future boss might want to see. We don't want to worry about being a perfect role model, citizen or employee. Social media is a way to let it all hang loose with your pals (not to mention lurk - but that is for another post!)

The simple solution is to be as private as possible with those who you aren't already connected with. Let only your name be searchable and make sure that if your friends are posting incriminating photos of you that their privacy settings are tight. If you are on Twitter, watch your tweets or protect them. You don't want your interviewer to learn about you through Facebook... really. Set up a profile on LinkIn; this lets you put only the good and relevant information about you as a professional out there.

Truly, the social media that professionals see is linked to good etiquette. There is no need to air your dirty laundry in public or make a spectacle of yourself (unless you are in show biz... then flaunt yourself all you want!) Let's face it, none of us are angels on Facebook. Most of us set it up while in university... and back then, we just didn't care!

My only advice about social media and being professional is to present yourself as well as possible. It's basically a digital interview. So, all that is left to do is put your name out there and only tell them what you want them to know. In essence, fake it till you make it.