STEP 1 towards making yourself a better candidate for a teaching job: SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT

Also, before diving too deep into this post, you may want to skim over The Scrutiny, a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago, which highlights some of the broader aspects of social media use as an educator.

There will be two main components of your social media audit: deleting & building.

Part 1: Deleting

You are going to go through and delete any posts or images that contain:

1. anything that could be viewed as bullying
2. profanity
3. anything overtly sexual
4. anything overtly political
5. Anything that might suggest you are a bad employee. Bad talking previous bosses, posts about how bored you are in meetings, or classes. Posts about how you’re spending your “sick” day on the beach. Etc.

Disclaimer: We are not delete entire accounts, just posts. That is unless the amount of inappropriate content is so high that you can’t easily remove it all. In that case. Delete the account all together. Not having any online presence can be a red flag for a potential employer.

Are department chairs, assistant principals, and principals going to be spending their days pouring over the social media accounts of the candidates they are considering interviewing?

No, that is highly unlikely. But, perhaps the day before the interview, while they’re waiting at the dentist’s office and thinking about the interviews coming up the next day, they might casually type your name into Google, Facebook, Twitter, you name it and see what comes up. Will they do a deep dive into your history if they find you? Probably not, but if they scroll once and see something troublesome they will likely take a look around.

Go through each social media site even if your user name is not your real name. Enough people know it’s you that a potential employer might too. The only case in which I wouldn’t be concerned is if you have a totally anonymous account that no one knows is you.

Start with Facebook if you have one. That is usually the first item to pop up if a potential employer does a Google search on your name. Go through the following list and start deleting.

1. anything that could be viewed as bullying
2. profanity
3. anything overtly sexual
4. anything overtly political
5. Anything that might suggest you are a bad employee.

Twitter is generally potential employers second stop so it should be yours as well. Go through the list and start deleting.

1. anything that could be viewed as bullying
2. profanity
3. anything overtly sexual
4. anything overtly political
5. Anything that might suggest you are a bad employee.

Instagram isn’t as popular among the older crowd, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want there. You know what to do.

1. anything that could be viewed as bullying
2. profanity
3. anything overtly sexual
4. anything overtly political
5. Anything that might suggest you are a bad employee.

Even Snapchat could be a potential issue. What if your friend who is a senior now (and follows you on Snapchat) is your potential boss in three years? Tread carefully.

Part 2: Building

Now that you’ve done some spring cleaning it is time to build a purposeful social media presence

Choose one social media platform you want to focus on for your “teacher” presence.

I recommend Twitter at the moment. It is easily searchable and the presence of teachers currently using Twitter is very high. You will be at no loss finding educators to connect with.

If you already have a Twitter account you may want to just start posting more of the type of stuff I talk about below.

If you don’t have an account go ahead and create one now. Use your real name as your handle if possible, or as close to it as you can get. Go ahead, I’ll still be here when you get back.

1. Choose a profile image that represents you as a professional
2. Focus on teaching in your bio. Something like this:
   UVA 2020 Biology and General Sciences Secondary Education Major
3. Follow at least 10 positive leaders in the field of education. Here are a few suggestions: Danny Steele (@SteeleThoughts), Kathleen Trace/Me (@ATeachersguide), Hamish Brewer (@brewerhm), Edutopia (@edutopia), Dwyane Reed (@TeachMrReed), Jeff Gargas‏ (@jeffgargas), Todd Whitaker (@ToddWhitaker), Tom Whitby (@TomWhitby), We Are Teachers (@WeAreTeachers), ISTE (@isteconnects).
4. Retweet a positive message about education at least once a week
5. Try leaving a comment on a post you really connect with.
6. Take a picture of a book (preferably related to education or your content in some way) you are reading now and post it on your social media. #amreading #amlearning #lifelonglearning #wannabeteacher. Employers want to see that you are always looking to gain more knowledge of your content and in the field of education. Do this once a month or so and again right before your interview.
7. Experiment with canva (it’s free) to create some aesthetically pleasing posts with quotes or messages about empowering students. #empower #mentalhealthmatters #studentdriven

Last suggestion

According to Education Week, ideal teachers possess the following traits. As you read through them, think about how you could use your new, clean, employment geared social media account to show that you possess these traits. Use of up to date buzzwords in your posts will help.

1. Life long learners, always looking to improve
2. Eager to connect with diverse leaders to continue to improve practice
3. Are voracious readers, modeling what they expect of their students
4. Transparent in their expectations
5. Exhibits a good attitude and a growth mindset
6. Models mistakes and growing from them
7. Comfortable not-knowing, but eager to problem solve
8. Technology is seamlessly integrated into their practice
9. Student learning is of the utmost importance – they don’t control, they conduct, facilitate- empower
10. Creative and open to trying new things
11. A natural relationship builder and a good reader of situations
12. Hard working and nurturing
13. Responsible

Check out the other steps:

STEP 1 towards making yourself a better candidate for a teaching job: SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT

STEP 2 (PART 1): BUILD A PURPOSEFUL ONLINE PRESENCE

STEP 2 (PART 2): BUILD A PURPOSEFUL ONLINE PRESENCE

STEP 3: Google yourself the smart way

You might want to check out some of the following posts:

10 month vs 12 month pay checks

To do list for the summer before your first year teaching

Recommended reading for future/new teachers

You’ve signed a teaching contract. Now what?

How to create an Amazon wish list

5 Must-Haves for New Teachers

5 Rookie Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make

The key to success in teaching

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