Supply teacher tips for your online presence

As we celebrate world online networking day, we offer some tips for supply teachers about their online presence.

An online reputation is just as important as a reputation in the community. All the information that can be found about you on the internet is referred to as your ‘online presence’. Increasingly this information comes from your profiles on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. It also includes photographs of you and anything that you have written or has been written about you. This may be on blogs, forum posts and wikis.

Establishing, protecting, and managing an online presence is now crucial in the education sector. It is important for anyone in the education profession to google themselves at least once a month and see what comes up, because this is what an employer could do; if information is inaccurate or negative, it will create a poor first impression. Un-tag yourself in any potentially compromising photos on Facebook and use their ‘View As’ function to see how your profile looks to the public. Facebook is known for its frequent alteration of privacy settings, so make sure you check your profile often.

LinkedIn is arguably more difficult to make mistakes with as its purpose is to convert you into an ever-professional living CV. However, just because your photo is in focus and you’re not posting offensive updates about previous employers, don’t assume you’re a LinkedIn success. If the employment history on your LinkedIn profile is different to that on your CV, it looks inconsistent and to some people, even suspicious. Along with poor spelling and grammar, or too few connections and endorsements, a negative impression can be created. So, before you apply for a job, google yourself and see what comes up or even try to make it a regular habit so that you are kept up to date about what is out there about you.