Off the Clock: How to Use Social Media to Best Showcase Your Professional Abilities by Matthew Jeckavitch

As an early childhood educator, people are always stunned to see that off the clock I enjoy a good cocktail, I laugh at dirty jokes and I enjoy cigars. The Mr. Rogers image I portray at work is shattered when people see me and my social media after work hours. It was a real problem when Facebook came out, so I decided to do something about it.

My first step was to stop looking at me as Matt the person. There’s at "work me" and at "home me," and the two people are very different. I looked at the work me as a brand. MannyMatt has so much experience, wisdom and does so much with his students that I decided to separate my Facebook pages and devote a whole page to him. By having a professional page, I can display what I am doing with my students, post activities and ideas and share with those interested along with potential future employers.

There are other social media platforms you can use as well, but for me, Facebook is easy to use. In the future, I can direct potential clients or employers to that page to market myself. On my personal Facebook page, I changed the name to a nickname so people know that they can see about your pet’s life and other personal things. By separating the two, you can showcase yourself in the best way possible.