You’re an MP that has stood down- get your digital profile in check

Last week’s announcement of the General Election on July 4th took us by surprise. MPs and staff thought they had more time to plan and find a new career. Now is the time to prepare for what comes next - getting your digital profile in check should be a priority.

So if you are a former MP, former Minister or a candidate whose future in politics is looking uncertain, take these steps to get your personal brand and digital footprint ready for your next career move. You’ve got the next 6 weeks to make a difference!

Start with the basics: make sure you have updated your social media profiles to reflect your employment change. Edit to ‘former MP’ or ‘former staffer’ and if actively looking for a new role, use features that channels like LinkedIn have to alert your network. Include any accomplishments such as legislation you helped to pass, campaigns that you worked on, and notable media wins that you may have missed listing on your profile.

A thorough social media audit: go through all your active accounts and look at them with a fresh eye. Prioritise updating your About and Bio sections, change any profile pictures, cover images and other visual assets that will refresh your profile. Unhook your parliamentary email from your social media accounts and link to a personal email or set one up just for social media. You don’t want to be locked out when parliamentary email access disappears in a few weeks time.

Digital wash-up: if you’re an MP who made their final speech last week, consider posting the video as your final post on your accounts. It’s a classy way to end this chapter of your political career. Former MPs such as Jo Churchill did this.

Personal branding and image: give some thought to your public image and brand. What do you want prospective employees and stakeholders to remember you for? And what do you want to be known for moving forward? Writing an accomplishment list focused on key words and sectors can narrow this down and provide a focus for new opportunities.

Invest in new photos: if you haven’t already, get some new headshots done. Consider the professional setting you want to enter and choose a location that reflects this. A series of headshots that can be used across social media and as a handout should be your focus.

Digital portfolio: as your parliamentary website ceases to exist, putting together a digital portfolio/website should be at the top of your focus list. A simple site that contains a biography, any media appearances or articles and a contact page is where you should begin. This can then be expanded with comment pieces, speeches and any other interesting information down the line. This approach provides certainty for stakeholders to contact you and should be the basics of a strong personal, online brand.

Go through your network: now is the time to tap up those connections for a coffee or a quick call. Be transparent with what you want and how you feel that they can help you- but make sure you offer to help them in return, either with connections, expertise or being available to be called on further down the line. Many will be in the same boat and paying it forward will help you in the rocky weeks ahead.

Taking these simple steps now will help to get you focused and ready for the next challenges that are coming down the track.

I can provide free, informal advice on the above and point you in the right direction to get your digital and online brand up to speed. Get in touch with me if you’d like a chat!