Create the right impression with employers through your social media presence

How we present ourselves online is becoming increasingly important, both personally and professionally.

This two-week course will help you explore the various elements that make up your professional online presence, and how to build your digital identity without affecting your employability.

With expert guidance, you’ll learn how to present yourself in the most professional light and discover how to make your online presence have the greatest impact for the right reasons.

Discover the online platforms that best suit your career

From Facebook to Instagram and beyond, you’ll explore which online platform suits your needs to build a professional persona.

You’ll also develop an actionable plan to make your online profiles work in your favour.

Learn online reputation management

You’ll consider your privacy and security settings, and understand that distinct types of posts might impact different audiences.

You’ll also examine the ways in which conduct and tone can impact your professional reputation online.

By the end of the course, you’ll understand the importance of your online presence and how it can either help or negatively impact your employability.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Sanne Vliegenthart: Do you like what you see when you search for yourself online? Has an email or photo ever cost you your job? How can your online profile help you in the world of work? This course will help you find out. Create a professional online presence is one of the three courses exploring creating digital content. From understanding how to market yourself online to exploring how social media really can kill your personal brand, you’ll discover how to make your online presence have the greatest impact for the right reasons. From Facebook to Instagram and beyond, explore which online platform is the most suitable for your needs and develop a plan to make your online presence work for you.

Skip to 0 minutes and 51 seconds This course is part of our suite of professional and digital skills courses from the University of Leeds and the Institute of Coding, covering topics from coding to social media marketing all available for free to help you build your career today. Whether you’re new to the world of work or forging a new career for yourself, we look forward to sharing your journey into the fast moving digital space. Join us online.

What topics will you cover?

Explore the concept of online presence for professional purposes
Evaluate your online presence for employability
Evaluate the most suitable platform for your needs
Identify different classes of communication strategies using different platforms and formats
Develop and plan for developing and maintaining your own effective online professional presence

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explain the direct and indirect activities that contribute to online presence
Evaluate your online presence
Improve your personal professional presence
Compare different platforms to analyse their suitability for your needs
Classify communications strategies
Develop a plan for an effective online presence

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for people who have some digital skills but would like to build on them. You may be looking to improve your career prospects or you want to boost your confidence in using digital technology in the workplace.

If you want to develop your understanding of this subject further, you may be interested in these courses, from the same provider, that share the same overall learning outcomes:

Who will you learn with?

Meg Pickard

Digital content/community/ transformation consultant, facilitator and trainer with 26+ years of industry experience.
Also passionate about neurodiversity and ethical business.
Drinks a lot of tea.

Who developed the course?

University of Leeds

As one of the UK’s largest research-based universities, the University of Leeds is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre of excellence for teaching.

Click Start

This course is part of Click Start, a nationwide training programme developed by the Institute of Coding (IoC) , a national collaboration of universities, employers and charities and funded by Nominet – the public benefit company and guardians of the .UK namespace.

Institute of Coding

The Institute of Coding (IoC) is a national collaboration of employers, universities, and charities, on a mission to provide people from all walks of life with access to digital learning and career opportunities.

Endorsers and supporters

funded by

supported by

What's included?

University of Leeds are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:

Unlimited access to this course

Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes

Tests to validate your learning

A PDF Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you’re eligible

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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