People are different. Some love the idea of churning out dozens of gym photos on Instagram after every workout, and some gag when the subject of online presence comes up. But here’s the rub. These days workforce does not forgive being off the grid. Which brings us to the main discussion.
Mistakes go viral on Instagram, but so do victories
Who am I to teach young people about hashtags. I wouldn’t dare. But there’s one crucial detail, guys. Everything has the potential to go viral these days. Given the right circumstances, or the right strategy. It’s usually one of the two.
A while ago, just one of those random things, a short clip was posted on Insta. Of a man working on a treadmill desk. He made a mistake, though, increased the speed without paying attention. You can guess what happened next. He lost footing, tried to keep typing for half a second out of pure denial, then flew backward off the treadmill while the laptop slid after him like it was also giving up on life.
Can’t fool physics. The clip went viral, so did lots of other dumb stuff. But the fun thing is that despite the fickle algorithm, people go viral also. For clever or not so clever reasons. More like through building a brand around themselves.
Nusret Gökçe, or as some people called him, the salt guy. Hilarious! This guy became a thing before there was TikTok. Just sprinkled salt over his forearm. Didn’t solve the Middle East crisis, didn’t invent a new way of recycling plastic… Sprinkled. Salt. Over. His. Forearm. Yes, in a funny and adorable way, though.
Dan Bilzerian went the other way. Outrageous theatrics. Yachts, women, planes, cars. Basically, testosterone content made for testosterone-driven audiences. Went viral, though, so who am I to judge.
Another example is Brandon Stanton, or, probably a more familiar name, Humans of New York. This guy didn’t pose with his biceps, but posted interviews and a photojournal. Slowly but surely, he built a whole brand around his stories. So relatable, so touching, and so real, that Instagram couldn’t resist, and gave him the throne.
So no, you don’t have to do stupid stunts to go viral. Substance makes it up there, too. It just takes longer, demands patience, and usually doesn’t explode overnight. But when it does work, it lasts longer than any trend or algorithmic hiccup.
Instagram hygiene: crucial even before you know who you are
I am old enough to remember the sweet feeling of doing stupid sh*t and realizing no one is going to see it except for the eyewitnesses. You guys, meaning fresh young students today, don’t have that luxury, unfortunately.
Worrying about your online portrait and getting a video editor is something you have to live with. Comes with the territory of having job opportunities all over the GLOBE. So boo-hoo.
Before you know what’s what, who you are and what you want to be, there’s already an online presence, you already have a Gmail account, and an Instagram account, God forbid, a TikTok, and a reputation. And it better be a clean one.
It’s important to keep your online hygiene. Now, let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that you chose a direction (albeit a temporary one), where you have to apply online. Standard situation, right? Well, you’re going to be subject to a background check. Not the CIA kind, but a check nonetheless. “Does your Instagram account reflect our company values?” And you might think, who cares? But unfortunately, the corporate grid doesn’t work that way. It will explore your reels, darling.
Followers, engagement, and posting history as credibility proxies
This is not about vanity metrics, my friend. People hiring you want to know as much as they can about you, and WILL scan your Instagram account. Plus, the first online impression becomes the key. Recruiters, and collaborators, (even peers) do not run deep audits on student profiles. All they do is skim. Do you seem confident? (‘Seem’ being the keyword) Do you portray social skills? Do you have friends who stuck around longer than 2 months?
Now, remember, these people don’t know you personally, but before they DO get to know you, you are a resume with metrics. Here are a few things that you might not like, but they remain true nonetheless.
- An active account signals consistency
- Engagement signals social relevance
- Posting history signals follow-through
It’s still early in your career, so numbers (follower count, or post count) don’t prove excellence. Not even close. What they do is reduce doubt. Think of it as a small confidence boost.
In other words, you don’t NEED a strong Instagram presence to be successful. But it will surely help build you up and look better for recruiters.
Fake it till you make it? More like “don’t look abandoned”
Visibility is not deception. You don’t have to doctor your Instagram photos, or use some aggressive filter that alters your face. I know, it seems like if you really have the skills, people will see it and appreciate it. This is disproportionately true for introverts. We think that if something is true for us, it’s visible for everyone. But that’s far from the truth, my friend.
It’s also a common struggle in relationships. We think that if we do something, it will be automatically visible for our partner. Oh, sweet summer child… Unfortunately, a lot of the time, a good deed will go unnoticed. Now, do you WANT it noticed? That’s a whole other discussion.
But when it comes to getting a job, you want to BE good at something, and you want other people to NOTICE. If built correctly, online presence will get you there.
A few things to consider:
- Empty or dormant profiles signal hesitation
- Inactivity reads as uncertainty, not humility
- You don’t need polish. Just presence
Thus, visibility comes down to participation, not deception. I’m not talking about those glam filters that make your face look like porcelain when it’s not. I’m talking about posting the solid, great effort you put in, along with the struggles you might face.
If you’re not a social person to begin with and don’t feel the need to post ANYTHING (more power to you, btw), treat it as a job necessity. Nothing personal on your Insta or LinkedIn. Just professionalism and work-related events. Just keep the consistency, nothing more.
No presentation = self-sabotage?
You might think that fake sells. Especially on Instagram. But we are all tired of perfection because perfection is boring. Perfect women with perfect behinds, perfect moms that never yell at their kids, perfect men who never say ‘no,’ and don’t have an opinion that would differ from their partner’s, perfect jobs, where there’s no burnout…
We are homo sapiens, and we are not perfect. If you’ve ever had an ex who aimed for that perfect, remember why they are ex. There is no GENUINE in perfect. By all means, post about struggle, not only the good times. Post something educational, post whatever you want.
But at the same time, don’t apologize and minimize yourself. I see a lot of students being apologetic for their incompetence. Incompetence is what makes growth possible.
Say ‘I’m already learning’ instead of ‘I’m still bad at this.’ Yes, we know you’re bad at something, no big deal. You’re young, and you have lots to learn, what a shocker… What we want to see is effort, confidence in your ability, and willingness to get there.
People trust clarity more than perfection. Sometimes confidence is performative before it is internal. That’s where the famous ‘fake it till you make it’ comes from. Portray what is true, and avoid self-sabotage. Let’s drive this point home.
Why students undersell themselves online
Fear of being judged, fear of looking arrogant, confusion about what is ‘allowed’ to claim… Sound familiar? If overselling is not honesty (which we already covered), underselling isn’t either. It’s just poor signaling, friend. Why are you trying to sabotage yourself? Forget about imposter syndrome and stop underselling yourself.
Personal brand is important! Make your statement, and if you’re not sure what that statement is, you’re a normal student. Breathe out, pick a lane, and try to follow it as true and clear as you can. Soon enough, people around you will take notice, and your connections will grow along with the confidence and self-respect.
Take your online presence as a rehearsal space of sorts. This is low-stakes exposure, so condition yourself for confidence after admitting to yourself that you don’t have it yet. And, pause for a second. Where would that confidence even come from if you haven’t done anything big yet? If you have, applause to you, my young friend, but most of your peers don’t know their behind from a hole in the ground and THAT’S FINE.
As they say, age is a disadvantage that melts away quickly.
This justifies starting early, imperfectly, and visibly.