5 Tips for Creating Professional Social Media Accounts

So, you want to create a solid, professional, online presence for yourself. Whether it’s to apply to jobs or for self-employment purposes, except you’re not sure where you can even start…

Does this sound like you?

Not to worry, we have a list of 5 different tips for you that provide details, ideas and resources on how you can fill out and increase your professional online presence starting now.

Tips for Building an Online Prescence

1. Building a Social Media Bio

A “social media bio” is a brief description about you and your work that you can place in the “bio” or “about” sections of your social account. For example, Instagram and LinkedIn both have this feature; if someone was to visit your profile on those social media platforms, this is one of the first things that they would see. Keep in mind that each of these platforms will have a different character limit, meaning a limit to how many words you can write. So, ensure that your bio is professional, brief, clear and concise.

Instagram bio examples (limit 150 characters):

For Marketing:
Marketing strategist helping brands grow through content, campaigns, and creative solutions that connect and convert. Let’s work together!
For an Early Childhood Educator:
Dedicated to nurturing young minds through play, curiosity, and care. Creating safe, fun spaces where kids learn, grow, and feel supported every day.
For a Tradesperson in Construction:
Experienced in residential and commercial construction. Reliable, skilled, and hands-on—delivering quality work built to stand the test of time.

LinkedIn bio examples (limit 2600 characters):

For a Health Care Aide:
As a dedicated Health Care Aide, I’m passionate about providing compassionate, respectful, and high-quality care to individuals in need of daily support. With several years of hands-on experience in both home care and long-term care settings, I take pride in helping clients live with dignity, independence, and comfort.
I specialize in assisting with personal care, mobility support, meal preparation, medication reminders, and companionship. I am known for my calm, friendly approach, strong work ethic, and ability to build trusting relationships with clients and families alike. I understand that no two people are the same, and I take the time to learn what matters most to everyone I work with.
Collaboration with nurses, families, and other health professionals is a key part of my role. I always strive to communicate clearly and respectfully while maintaining a safe, clean, and positive environment for everyone involved.
Skills & Certifications:
Certified Health Care Aide
CPR & First Aid Certified
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care Training
For a Music Teacher:
I’m a passionate and patient music teacher who believes in the power of music to inspire, heal, and connect people of all ages. With a background in music education and performance, I’ve spent the past decade helping students discover their musical voices, build confidence, and enjoy the creative process—whether they’re just starting out or advancing their skills.
I specialize in teaching piano, voice, and music theory to students ranging from young beginners to adults. My teaching style is encouraging, adaptable, and fun. I tailor each lesson to meet the needs and interests of the student, using a mix of traditional methods and creative activities to keep lessons engaging and rewarding.
I’ve taught in public schools, private studios, and community programs, and I’m always eager to create inclusive, welcoming spaces where students feel supported. My goal is to make music accessible and enjoyable, while also fostering discipline, focus, and self-expression.
Skills & Experience:
Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education
10+ Years of Teaching Experience
Piano, Voice, and Theory Instruction
Royal Conservatory of Music Preparation
Recital and Performance Coaching
For a Web Developer:
I’m a detail-driven web developer with a passion for building clean, responsive, and user-friendly websites and applications. Whether it’s creating a sleek marketing site or developing a full-stack web app, I combine creativity with technical skill to deliver modern digital experiences that work beautifully across devices.
I have experience in both front-end and back-end development, with a focus on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and Node.js. I’ve worked on projects ranging from e-commerce platforms and blogs to internal tools and content management systems. I enjoy problem-solving and love diving into new technologies to expand my toolkit.
Collaboration is key to my approach—I work closely with designers, marketers, and other developers to ensure that goals are met, timelines are respected, and users are prioritized. I believe good code should be clear, scalable, and built with future growth in mind.
Whether you need a custom-built website, help maintaining your current platform, or someone to join your dev team, I bring a professional attitude, curiosity, and a commitment to quality work.
Skills & Tools:
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js
Responsive Design & Cross-Browser Compatibility
Git, GitHub, Agile Development
CMS Integration (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)
UI/UX Best Practices

2. Using Professional Profile Images

When you are setting up your brand new, shiny social media profiles for a new business or to use in job applications, ensure that your profile images (the first image that people will see when exploring your profile) are appropriate and professional. It can be tempting to use that fun photo from last year’s family vacation on the beach, but instead, try to use something like a clear headshot image of you with good lighting, bright colours and the highest resolution possible.

Don’t have a photo like this? Not to worry! Try some of these ideas:

Hire a local photographer to do a professional photoshoot with you for work; let them know you would like primarily portrait photos, and some full-standing photos. Wear something nice, and professional such as dress pants and a blouse or dress for women, or dress pants and a button-up for men.
Stand against a white wall and have someone take a photo of you from the shoulders up. Wear something professional that helps you stand out from the white wall; smile and look directly have the camera. If you are using an iPhone, try the “Portrait” setting, where it auto-focuses on your face and blurs the background. Extra tip: Select the “studio lighting” option for decent results, use bright lighting and as much natural light as possible.

If you do not have help, you can still do a selfie and make it look professional! Make sure you have good, bright lighting and use a white or other light-coloured background. Hold your phone at arms’ length, smile, and take a few photos, try to use natural lighting if you can.

3. Email Addresses

You do not need to have all your contact information available on your social media; we recommend having links to your work email and your website or portfolio, if applicable. However, when selecting what email address to use, do not use a personal address if possible; have a professional email address that is in one of the following formats:

FirstNameLastName@service.com
LastName@service.com
LastInitial@service.com
LastName@service.com

If your personal email address is already like those above, and you want to use it, there is no harm in doing so! We recommend this method if you have an email address that you created when you were younger and contains names or characters in it from games, movies, music or other pop culture references, etc., as this is not an appropriate email address type to use for professional purposes.

4. Utilize Your Platforms as a Portfolio or Resume

Once you are set up and comfortable with your bio, your contact information and your profile images, it’s time to fill in the gaps! With your experience in your field, you can use that information to create a digital portfolio. Share your course certifications, your skills and experience, past projects and other portfolios, etc. For example, if you are a marketing specialist, you might include an introductory post where you can speak more about yourself outside of the character limits of your bio, and expand on your projects, skills and abilities. On platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn where you can write extended text and include additional details, ensure that you are adding the most relevant and up-to-date information.

Again, with the marketing example, perhaps in this section they would list their skills such as:

Proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
Some experience with HTML and CSS
Build websites in WordPress and utilize plugins such as Elementor and Jetform

Once you feel like you have included enough professional information about yourself, you are just about ready to start sending your media out as a part of your future job applications!

5. Posting Content

Posting content can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Take photos as you work and record short clips (5-25 seconds) while you’re on the job or working on personal/self-employment projects. Ensure they have good lighting and colour and are not blurry or shaky. The same as your profile photo, try to keep them as streamlined as possible, and avoid posting too much personal content on your designated professional social media pages.

Why, you may ask?

If you use your LinkedIn or Facebook profile as part of your job application, your potential employer is primarily looking at your skills, abilities, proficiencies, and if and how you can present yourself in a professional manner.

However, some personal posts are okay if they are appropriate and friendly (for example, do not share on your professional page that you were out drinking with your friends; that is not a good look for you and could ruin future job opportunities).

Remember, getting started is sometimes the hardest part; once you have your professional social media platforms up and running, you will be all set to continue working and developing your online presence. Best of luck!