5 Tips for Keeping Your Public and Private Social Media Channels Separate

By Sofi Matzaganian

As social media becomes more and more a part of our daily routines, we tend to become compelled to share every aspect of our lives with our followers. In the age of the influencer, it is not uncommon to have a social media presence and market yourself via platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and, more recently, TikTok. Keeping your personal life and professional life separate is a good practice to adopt in life, especially on social media platforms. In this list you will find the do’s and don’ts of personal and private social medias.  ​

1. Keep it separate 
It may seem tedious, but making a separate profile on each platform for your personal posts and one for your professional posts is important. When potential employers are researching you, they do not need to see a video of what you got into last Saturday night. If you want to post these videos and pictures go ahead, just make sure that it is on your private account and not on your professional one.  
​DO spend the time to make a separate profile for both areas of your life.  
DON’T post all aspects of your life on one profile. Keep it clean and professional for your potential and current employers.  

2. Make that private account PRIVATE 
Your personal account should be set to private. Nobody should be able to see what you post unless they follow you.  
DO go into your channel settings and make sure everything is set to private on your personal channel. 
DON’T assume that because you click the general “private” button on your account it means that everything you put up on your channel will not be able to be seen by the public. 

3. Only allow people you trust to follow your private account.  
Make sure to only let friends follow this private account. This does not include work friends. Keeping the personal side of your social media private gives you a place to post the crazy antics of your weekend, while still seeming clean and professional to people in your life who know you in a professional setting.  
DO have your work friends, employers and potential work-related connections follow your professional public accounts.  
DON’T let a couple work friends follow your personal account. Keep it to yourself and your close friends.  

4. Only list your public accounts on your resume.  
Having both a professional and private social media gives you a place to be each side of yourself. On your resume, you don’t want to list the social platform where you also post bikini pictures and the row of tequila shots you did with your friends on Friday. As fun as those times are, there is a time and place to post them. When you are in a professional setting or an interview, having professional platforms to provide potential employers with is a good idea.  
DO list your professional social media pages on your resume.  
DON’T list your private social media on a resume or mention it in an interview. If you only have a personal page for one social media platform don’t even mention this platform.  

5. Spend time cultivating a presence professionally. 
It is important to make your professional page as complete as your private account. Add links to your work, links to other social media platforms and proper contact information. This will give potential employers the opportunity to engage with you on a professional level.  
​DO spend the time to complete your professional accounts as they are just as important as your personal ones. For more tips on how to do this check out this article from Harvard Business Review.  
DON’T add too many frills and such to your professional account. This is not the time and place. But feel free to do all of that on your private account.  
Creating and maintaining a professional social media account can not only help you with potential employers, but also establish you as an expert in your field. Remember to keep your professional channels PROFESSIONAL and private channels PRIVATE with these helpful tips. ​