This week I created something that I had never really considered doing before- I made a professional Facebook page. I had always been aware that future employers could potentially look me up on Facebook to try and get a better understanding of who I was and what my life consisted of, but always figured I would just set my profile to "private" rather than try to sort out possibly "incriminating" photos or posts that an employer would deem unprofessional. But a private Facebook page does not give very much insight into who I am- rather it does the complete opposite and might even cause one to wonder what it is I'm trying to hide! That is when I realized creating an alternate page, primarily for use in the professional world, could be the perfect thing for a potential employer to come across and consider hiring me for a position.
A page like one I created this week gives someone an opportunity to find out what kind of an employee I would be like at the workplace, not what I do on the weekends or on vacation. It gives people a chance to express a resume-like summary of themselves in a digital format, which I think is much more present-day friendly as well as extremely efficient. For those who may be nervous or not perform their best in an in-person interview, a professional Facebook page grants them the option of sort of "boasting" about their own qualities and accomplishments with the help of appropriate photos and summaries. On another level, it can let the employer see what kind of Facebook pages are "liked" and whether or not the person is technically savvy. It opens up a broad range of options that can be very beneficiary to anybody looking to get ahead in the workforce. Especially since when people think of "Facebook" they usually do not think of it helping them go further in their career, those who consider it on a different level will be pleasantly surprised at the results it provides them.
The page can also be kept and regularly updated as I continue to grow in the Interior Design world and could blossom into a sort of reference for potential clients. Perhaps one day my professional page could develop into one like the talented Interior Designer, Candice Olson, who has nearly 40 thousand "likes" on her page which demonstrates a number of images of her recent work:
Look for my fellow Ales 204 classmate Shannon Fox's blog where she gives some interesting perspective into what it is like to be on the employer side of things:
 |
| A screen grab of my new and professional Facebook page |
I agree with your comment that Facebook is often thought of as detrimental or not very helpful towards someone looking to forward their career. It does act like a collection of things you do in your private time, not work place appropriate activities. I think a Facebook resume would be extremely helpful, especially to someone looking to move forward in the interior design business, since it can act as a resume and portfolio. You can not only say where you've worked, and the types of designs you've done but you can add to that and supplement your career history with photos, designs and sketches.
ReplyDeleteIn the career you are interested in, Facebook will be great for potential clients which you point out. It can also be a reference for your clients to see your new and upcoming ideas as well as what is going on in your designs at the time. Creating a professional Facebook page will also allow for other people to easy share your business!
ReplyDelete