Guest Post by Lea Goldman

Let me begin with a couple of confessions:

1) While I’m hardly a Twitter phenom—Nick Nolte’s Mugshot (@Nick_Nolte) has more followers than me—I’m fairly active online, regularly Tweeting, Instagramming, updating my status on Facebook and sharing snaps on Instagram. Finding me isn’t difficult, and I’m fairly liberal about whose friend requests I’ll accept.

2) I meet smart, ambitious career-minded women all the time thanks to my job as a magazine editor. And since many of them tend to parlay introductions with me into digital connections, I find myself routinely blurring my personal and professional lives online. My colleagues have most certainly seen candid images of my toddler in the tub on Facebook, and I know I’ve seen casual business acquaintances in barely-there bikinis living large in Cabo via Instagram.

No doubt, we’ve all read stories and heard tips about the importance of maintaining a good digital reputation; and every now and again, some story goes viral about someone, somewhere losing her job because she Tweeted/Facebooked/blogged some ill-advised criticism of her boss/company/clients. And yet, let’s face it, we’re all a little guilty about being sloppy when it comes to our social media profiles. Usually it’s NBD, hardly worth mentioning. (The typo-strewn, grammatically-mangled Tweets dashed off in haste come to mind.) But there are mundane digital sins committed with regularity that have the net effect of eroding your credibility and undermining your “personal brand.” I see these missteps all the time—I know I make some myself—and they always make me cringe.

A caveat worth noting: Yes, yes, I know men get away with all sorts of egregious behavior online with nary a peep from anyone. (The fact that Kate Upton is trending this very moment confirms my point.) But just like in the workplace, women still contend with double standards. It’s unfair and wildly infuriating, but it’s still something we all deal with. (Case in point: your male cubemate can probably get away with a five o’clock shadow for three days straight, but god help you if you show up for work without having brushed your hair, am I right?) Whether you’re looking to score a raise, find funding for your startup, or land a job offer on your first interview out of college, do yourself a big favor and preserve your good name by avoiding these 7 everyday digital crimes potentially sabotaging your career:

1. Being overly snarky. It’s true, snark is rewarded online in the form of likes, retweets and shares. (The snarkier, the better.) But imagine you’ve just met a client who decides to check out your Twitter feed to see how many followers you have. What will she think if your last dozen posts all dinged Lena Dunham’s red carpet wardrobe? Suddenly you’re a post-modern version of those grumpy old codgers from the Muppets (please tell me you know who I’m talking about) and who wants to hang with them?

2. Using Twitter strictly to retweet. I do this all the time, sadly. I’ll be on a bus or in a cab catching up on what’s what, and there I go, retweeting everything that catches my eye. It’s a terrible habit that puts me in the lame position of following the leader instead of actually being one. Original Tweets are golden, ladies. Flex your word-smithing muscle and get in the habit of throwing your own two-cents out there.

3. Posting an off-topic status update during a major breaking news event. When the lights go out at the Super Bowl, it’s probably not the best time to share an invitation to your book club’s next meeting. Of course, it’s not like everybody on the planet is watching the big game, but it just sends an unflattering message that you’re out of touch with what’s happening in the culturesphere.

4. Asking super general questions. “Hey, everybody, how are you preparing for Superstorm Sandy?” You’re not Al Roker. I’d much rather to connect with you with an account of how you’re preparing for it.

5. Making it all about your kids. This one’s controversial, I know. As a mom myself, I post way too many pics of my little guy on Instagram and virtually none about career-related experiences. It’s true, guilty as charged. The problem is that while I’m Instagramming shots of my kid doing wheelies, my colleagues are posting cool products, signs, meals, and yes, occasionally their kids—experiences that illustrate a more well-rounded “360 degree” life.

6. Not promoting your work. This one always bums me out. You’ve got a career you’ve worked very hard at. Why aren’t you crowing about it? Go ahead and share the good word about the kick-ass presentation you made, the new client you just landed, the article you recently published, the TV appearance you just made, the speech you’ll deliver. For starters, I’m thrilled to congratulate you! (To paraphrase a line from Sex and the City, my friends’ successes only make me look better.) But that kind of information could also spark an idea or collaboration between us, or it may inspire me to broker an introduction. So don’t be shy about your accomplishments.

7. Changing your profile picture every other day. There’s nothing wrong with mixing things up, of course, but every time you change your pic, I’m alerted to the fact. And by the end of the week, when I’ve received my fifth notice on Facebook about it, I start to wonder what the deal is—are you one of those people perpetually on the hunt for a spectacular photo or are you just never satisfied? There’s a reason brands don’t change their logos often. Consistency helps with branding. Remember, you’re a brand now, baby!

What have you seen people do online that hurt their careers? Tell us in the comments!

Meet Lea

Follow me on Twitter @leagoldman!

Lea Goldman is the Features & Special Projects Director of Marie Claire, where she oversees the magazine’s career coverage. She lives in New York with her husband and their 3-year old, Ozzie, aka “our little manimal”.

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