Lines of Control
Social media has added a new dimension to the old dilemma of maintaining separate professional and personal lives — Yogesh Bansal

An individual’s personality has different aspects and it totally depends on each individual situation as to how and where he uses his personal, social, and professional skills – and displays certain aspects of his personality. An person's social life comprises of their friends, family, emotions, and choices. On the other hand one’s professional life comprises of their skills, education, qualifications, work experience, and professional behavior. And it is required not just to share but also market and brand all of these. All these attributes tend to bring out different personalities of an individual - which might not coincide with the other. Hence, it is vital to keep the both separate or at least different from each other.

The Internet today provides us with a huge platform to collect and share information of all kinds. Social media is a rage amongst the masses and acts as an aggregator for these kinds of information. Social media does come with privileges and features. An individual has the flexibility to control what information about him/her is shared and what is not! One could also control his/her visibility to a particular audience.
Social media is a very wide and all-encompassing term. Everything from blogging, chatting, social networking, and professional networking falls under the category of social media. However, most social media sites can further be divided into social and professional categories.

IMAGE MATTERS
This differentiation brings about the need to have separate online profiles. These profiles helps individuals maintain separate social and professional lives. As discussed, the attributes of one’s personal and professional life tend to bring out two different personalities of an individual. The activities on these sites also depict our personality. Therefore it is always advisable to keep your professional contacts separately in your professional networking sites, where you market your skills, talk about your work experience, seek recommendations, and participate in discussions pertaining to your profession. On a professional network, you are searched by the keywords you choose. Your profile needs to be well-written and polished, and should also reflect your expectations and aspirations. Here are some tips that’ll help you create a professional online presence:

• Unlike a social network where you write down casual one liners in the ‘about yourself’ column, make sure that when on a professional network, you craft a professional headline for yourself. E.g: “Economics graduate seeking a research analyst position” or “Senior advertising and service industries professional with over 8 years of experience in sales and marketing operations”.

• Your profile picture on a professional or social site is your online identity for people who contact you. It is very strongly recommended not to put up any such photographs that could jeopardise your image. Find a welcoming (and professional-looking) photo to increase your visibility: profiles with photos are 10 times more likely to be viewed and contacted than others, so make sure you do have one up!

• Keep in mind that character assessment and judgment begins from the point your profile is viewed. Do not use casual or frivolous statements when interacting on a professional network. Your conduct should match your location. Just as you are informal and casual amongst friends, when on a professional network, you are amongst potential colleagues, business partners, and employers. Your conduct should reflect your industry, position, and professional standing.

UNDER SCRUTINY
Anything said or done on a social network might be noted by a prospective recruiter to judge you upon your personality or skills. You might even do your best to separate your online presence. Despite these divisions, your online activities are not completely invisible to your professional contacts. Therefore, adopting proper Internet etiquette is crucial at all times. Think before you consider posting something. If you are compelled to share something online, at least set up the appropriate barriers so that only the right people see it. Most social networking websites have ways of filtering friends into specific groups. If you have doubts about a picture’s appropriateness, leave it off the Internet: The practice of sharing anything and everything on social media could inversely affect your career or profession.

Social media is such a buzz that organizations are adopting HR policies pertaining to social media. Some organisations are in favor of using social media and some might be against it. At ApnaCircle, we look at the ApnaCircle profile of a candidate. The online profile gives us an initial idea about the individual and makes our search specific and easier. It gives us an insight to the candidate even before meeting him/her and also helps gauge the skills as well as interests of the candidate. Therefore these platforms can either make or break an employee's or employers' image.

If you are about to attend an interview, be careful on what you have posted on your social profile , where you have been tagged, and what has been said about you: Many employers will look you up on social and professional networking sites before meeting you. You are searchable on a search engine and that is what you need to take care of; Technology has given us an option to share and control what we share.

SEPARATE PRESENCE
Social networking sites such as Facebook are great for friends and family. But, when you’re trying to build up a career and contacts, you need to head for the right online space. Professional networking sites such as ApnaCircle can help control your online identity. These platforms let you market your skills and not your personal life, allowing for a clean break between different aspects of your personality.

Professional sites help you reach your target audience directly – Letting you brand yourself, market your skills, and discuss your experiences. Professional networking sites are a job and career (networking) assembly to professionals across verticals and industries! They act as catalysts in providing global as well as international career and job opportunities as well as a platform to begin networking relationships in the right way.

— A US-educated sailor and MBA, Yogesh Bansal is an Internet and dotcom pioneer. He has been involved with several start-ups and is now the founder-CEO of India’s leading professional networking site, ApnaCircle.com

.