Are you a job seeker who is building a personal brand through social media platforms like Facebook? If not, you are missing out on great opportunities to effectively market yourself and find the right job for you. Building a personal brand via a social media site may sound intimidating, but it can be done in a few simple steps.
Why You Should Brand Yourself, and How to Do It
Building a personal brand as a job seeker is important. This is because it sets you apart from the crowd of thousands of job seekers by telling potential employers and professional contacts who you are, what you can do, and what you stand for.
According to Brand Yourself, personal branding refers to establishing and promoting what you stand for, as well as your skills and experiences. So the first questions to ask yourself when building a personal brand is “what do I stand for, and what is my skill set?” Getting clarity about those questions will help you define your brand before making it known via social media.
“According to career experts, if you’re in the running for a new job, you will be Googled. Make sure you’re crafting a consistent, professional, and original personal brand across your social media platforms and into your job application materials.” — Jobscan blog
4 Tips for Building a Personal Brand on Facebook
Average people spend about an hour a day on Facebook. More than likely, the majority of that time is not being spent branding themselves and increasing their chances of landing a great job.
Put your time on Facebook to good use by actively building a personal brand in four easy steps:
- Delete any photos of yourself or past posts that do not align with your brand. If you are interviewing for jobs, make sure there is no profanity or unprofessional photos to be found on your account. Employers often check potential candidates’ social media accounts, so ensure yours supports your brand instead of tears it down.
- Strategically choose whom to add to your list of friends. Consider deleting those who could be damaging to your brand or restricting their ability to tag you in posts and photos. You likely want your account to communicate professionalism, so choose your friends accordingly.
- Change your privacy settings. Social Media Today stated, “If you are serious about creating a brand out of yourself, you need to filter information and content you put out there. Depending on your wishes and/or preferences, you can limit the information viewed on your profile to certain groups, or let people who are not your Facebook friends have access to it. If you want to attract more Facebook connections, it would be wise to let some information be accessible to the public.”
- Include professional details. In addition to stating where you work, describe what you do. As your friend base grows to include more contacts that have connections you need, this feature will really come in handy as it allows these individuals to learn more about who you are as a professional.
There are many other ways to build your personal brand on Facebook. Read about them here.
Do You Use Facebook to Your Advantage as a Job Seeker?
Facebook is the perfect place to build your brand, expand your professional network, and give yourself a competitive edge as a job seeker. Are you using it for this purpose?