​​The new year is a good time to clean up, tidy and organize –– which also goes for your professional social media footprint. Here is a checklist of items to pay attention to in your digital network. Overhaul and update LinkedInJust like offline networking, online networking shouldn’t just be about what you can gain from other people. It’s critical to create value for others and show what you can do, instead of just asking for favors. Be proactive and write a recommendation for others on LinkedIn, update with your current professional headshot and headline, include recent relevant projects and accomplishments, skills and volunteer work. Join Facebook groups  You may think of Facebook as merely a place to keep up with the personal lives of friends and family. But recently, Facebook has actively boosted groups, which can be a place to join for both professional information and networking with new people. Go to Facebook Groupsor click on the groups tab to filter your news feed by groups and see suggested groups to join. This will help expand your network outside of people you currently know and can include career-focused information by being intentional with which groups you join. Find jobs on InstagramJust like Facebook, if you go beyond the surface of Instagram’s selfies and adventures, you can find a valuable source of professional information through hashtags and job listings. In this pursuit, actively use the search box instead of passively scrolling through your feed. For example, try searching “careers” to find job listing accounts from companies that have dedicated HR and recruitment accounts on Instagram. The network also makes it possible to follow hashtags like #careertips so they show up periodically in your feed.   No matter which social media networks you use, the biggest shift to make a difference is to use them mindfully instead of mindlessly. Rather than letting an algorithm solely dictate your feed, consider your needs, goals and what you want to get out of visiting the site. Then take action accordingly. 

​​Make your job search work for you by leveraging technology to promote yourself. Maximize your marketability through means of your resume, social channels such as LinkedIn, networking and applying for new roles. If you are seeking to make a move, here are 5 tips to help kickstart your job search. Expand your network  Research has shown that while we rely on our strong ties in our everyday lives, but it’s our weak ties (also called an “open network”) that help make leaps when it comes to finding new careers and positions.  That may sound counterintuitive since we’re so close to our strong ties. But because weak ties are farther removed, they know about opportunities we aren’t likely to know about. By getting slightly outside your comfort zone, you can extend your open network dramatically.   Leverage social media  LinkedIn may be the first social network most people think of when it comes to a job search. However, branding through social media can take place on any platform, from Instagram to Twitter. You may want to make certain profiles private, create secondary accounts or start purposefully sharing content that matches the job you are seeking.   Update your resume for digital  There are many tools to take your standard paper resume and turn it into a digital version, such as VisualCV. This online tool allows users to add photos or graphics to their resume, select sample templates based on industry type, or outsource their design to a team that will format a CV or resume. Once the resume is finished, VisualCV will generate a URL for the design that can be shared in social media and indexed by search engines.   Know your strengths and weaknesses  Bring what you are truly qualified to do to a new role by considering your training, soft skills and personality. To get an objective view of your strengths and weaknesses, consider both getting feedback from peers and managers, as well as taking an online assessment. ManpowerGroup, for example, provides online assessments so candidates can work with informed data when putting themselves into the job market.   Spread your search  ManpowerGroup identified a group of candidates known as Early HR Technology Adopters who use at least three technologies in their job search. This includes a smartphone app, social media advertisement, virtual job fair, text message, video interview, website chat, game or skills challenge test, or voice search via a virtual assistant. This new group of candidates represents the next wave of applicants who leave no digital rock unturned.  The task of finding a new job takes many paths, from crafting the cover letter to casting a wide net when searching. It’s less overwhelming when you start to break down the end goal into smaller, individual parts of a routine. Tackle the above categories one by one, and you’ll be able to build on the momentum of each to accelerate your job search.  

​​Right now, it can feel for everyone like we’re preparing for a future of work that may look very different than today, with working from home on the rise and jobs rapidly transitioning between industries. This can make it feel like it’s difficult to prepare for the next phases of your career, but there are foundational steps you can take to bolster your brand. Here are steps to take to build your personal brand that lasts through uncertainty and into the future.   Build or update your LinkedIn profile Your LinkedIn profile is essential as a foundation of your personal brand. After you have identified your career mission statement, you can build your digital brand online. Then use it to promote your skills, accomplishments and goals. If you have already taken these steps, use this time to review your content to update any outdated content, photos or text and make your profile relevant for today. ​Harness audio and videoEvery platform from Facebook to LinkedIn supports streaming video directly on their sites. This allows for greater expression of your soft skills like public speaking, leadership and presence. If video isn’t your favorite medium, there are other digital options to spread your message, including the rising podcast industry. Tools like Anchor.fm now make it possible to start a podcast with little equipment or training, using tools as basic as your phone. ​Focus on learnability None of us know exactly what the future of work will bring, but we do know that it will require constant learning on the job. In order to meet these new challenges, learnability is necessary. Learnability is the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout careers. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read something from an unusual perspective? When have you taken the time to wrap your head around a new industry? To keep your learnability skill sharp while uncertainty swirls, take the time to find unfamiliar topics, dig beneath the surface and keep growing. Find out your Learnability Quotient.  ​In this time of uncertainty, roles in the future will require adaptability and resiliency. Increasingly, they are about what you are willing to learn, adapt and apply for tomorrow’s needs. By building your personal brand now, you will be able to project these values to the marketplace that needs them. 

Put your best digital foot forward in your job search by making sure social media is an asset, not a liability.​In the past decade, social media has slowly but surely blurred the line between personal life with professional life. This can be easy to forget, until you start a new job search. While you may be comfortable with your social life overlapping, you may also want to make sure you are putting your best professional foot forward with your online accounts. Here are five tips to cleaning up your profiles.Check your privacy settingsFacebook provides a range of settings to allow your profile to be completely public to totally hidden. Most people will seek something in the middle, which allows their profile to be found in their network while keeping your posts private. On Facebook’s homepage, click on “privacy check-up” to see how your posts appear to others and adjust your settings accordingly. Other accounts such as Twitter and Instagram don’t allow this range of privacy settings, but allow you to make your public accounts private.Consider secondary professional accountsSocial networks were originally created to connect with friends and family, but have since made their way to include colleagues and business associates. If you prefer to keep these worlds separate, you can create secondary social media accounts for “friendly” business associates. If you do use a professional account, fill out the profile with your work information and include a professional headshot.Scan your historyEven if you choose to keep your accounts public, it’s a good idea to scan your social media history for any posts you may have forgotten about. You can do this by searching for your name with the “+” sign and