Social Media: How It Affects Your Esthetics Career?

        Social media today is something most people can't live without, it is like living without satellite T.V. these days, we just can't get enough of it. If you are going to have public access to your accounts, make sure you don't put anything on your pages that you wouldn't want an employer to see. While some content may seem trivial to you, your employer might think otherwise. Especially if you work at a med-spa, don't mix your work colleagues with your social network pages, if you do it might come back to haunt you. Med-spas are doctor operated, doctors tend to be highly professional so it is best if you present yourself as a professional as well. Everyone wants to share everything on these pages these days, people type in everything from they've had a bad day to they just got home from work, but do we really need our employers and friends from work digging around in our most intimate world? Yes, it is a world that we put out there for a zillion people to see, but so many us use social media to vent our emotions, express our political affiliations and religious views, and to use cyberspace as a catharsis. While these platforms are genius, it can be a career disaster if you do not manage it properly. Here are my tips to avoid career pitfalls:

(1) Never share your information publicly (everyone must be a friend to get access to your info!)

(2) Make sure your profile picture is appropriate (employers can still see this from a closed access account)--remember, if they see you lap dancing on some guy, well let's just say they aren't going to be excited to hire you--unless you are applying at a strip club, well in that case you've landed the job!

(3) Hesitate before adding colleagues to your page. You want your personal life personal, and your work life professional. You don't want to worry about everything you post affecting your career.

(4) If you really want to have a page to connect with your co-workers, then consider opening a second page just for work related communications. Keep it professional, do not use bad language, and only post professional photos. Use this page to highlight your career achievements, post and share your certifications and recent educational classes, and while you can keep it light hearted in nature, remember this is your career on the line!

(5) NEVER APPLY FOR A JOB THAT REQUIRES YOU TO LOG IN USING A SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE--THIS IS ONLY TO TRAP YOU INTO SHARING YOUR INFORMATION. They will use that information to determine if you are the type of employee they want working for them.