In the world of social media, we are exposed to the “highlight reel” of our lives. We click “like” or favorite and post a congratulatory comment which is all in a day’s work for us social media savvy millennials. Naturally, that means we too like to share our accomplishments online. Whether it’s your birthday (which totally counts as an accomplishment!), a post workout pic, or just a snap that proves you got out of bed that day and managed to drag yourself to brunch.
When it comes to your professional achievements, however, you definitely want to be more strategic about how and what you are sharing online. Here are a few tips to keep things nice and easy.
Update your LinkedIn profile
I definitely recommend getting a profile started if you don’t use LinkedIn yet. LinkedIn is considered the professional “career-focused” social media platform. It’s easy to use, has great career resources, and you can follow companies and professionals you are interested in. For potential employers or professional connections, they can view your profile to see if you’re the right fit for a position based on the information you have on your profile.
Take the time to add/update information on your profile and maybe that one achievement will open the door for bigger and better opportunities. You can also read more about other online career tools here.
Update other profiles (if you want)
If you use other social media platforms in a more professional way, you may want to update your bio or post a celebratory post to let your network know about your professional achievement. Even if it is a small win, who knows who you can inspire that day! You also never know who is viewing your profile and don’t you want to share the best you?
Avoid being negative
Congrats! You’ve won an award or maybe have a new job or certification! Revel in that, but avoid burning any bridges through inflammatory language. For example, you have a position at a new company and you’re finally out of that dead-end job:
Good: “Happy to announce I will be starting my new job at Google! So excited to get started on this new professional journey!”
Bad: “Happy that I never have to work at Elgoog ever again. What an awful place with bad management. I feel bad for anyone still working there.”
Like always, think before sharing. The internet is forever!
Shout outs
You should definitely thank the people who have inspired you or have helped you get to where you are now. Whether that is a tweet, or an actual hand written card, it will be appreciated. Let them celebrate with you!
Take a step back to reflect
If you’re like me, that post that tells the world that “I did that!” is the first and last thing you do to celebrate your achievements. Then it is on to the next thing. I don’t consciously think it’s for the likes or the recognition from my peers, it’s just the easiest and shortest way to reflect on my experiences. I realize this is totally unhealthy.
I recommend stepping away from your phone or laptop when you actually want to celebrate your achievements, big or small. Take the time to do something fun with people you care about. You earned it!
