CREATING YOUR CAREER GAME PLAN
Personal Platforms Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and blogs take precedence over LinkedIn when when it comes to personal networking. However, because they’re far more personal, the delicate balance between personal and professional is even more precarious.
And although the struggle is real, don’t privatise your accounts or overlook them! Recruiters have been known to look out for potential candidates on these platforms, so clean these possible resources up rather than completely discounting them.
1. Your profile
2. Your picture
While it’s fine to keep your personal profiles more casual, make sure you still include some common keywords regarding your career goals or aspirations in summaries about yourself. This is so that it’ll appear when employers search for potential employees. This will also allow them to get a glance at your professional identity too.
While you should take creative licence when it comes to your pictures on your personal sites, remember to choose those that show your face clearly. More than that, to secure a good first impression, don’t post an image of yourself in a possibly embarrassing setting for the world and prospective employers to see.
Take note
Take note
Give special attention to your name and handle, and use your real name as much as possible to give an impression of trustworthiness and reliability. For instance, if a media personality named “Beryl Tan” uses @beryltan, it sounds more authentic and dependable than @theber.
Be wary of picture tags – either disable that option or untag yourself as you see fit.
3. Control your image
4. @tags and #hashtags
By customising your “friends” list, you’ll be able to control who gets to see who gets to see what posts you make online but also regulate who gets to view what content you have online. This lets you remain honest to your personal identity while also still maintaining a professional appearance.
Although tags and hashtags are useful in getting your content to the right audience, be mindful not to abuse them! Use them to reach out to certain figures – much like how celebrities do – or start a discussion.
Take note
Make sure to go through your settings regularly, especially when the platforms are updated.
Take note
If you want to start a discussion, share and tag an industry update on an employer’s page. Many employers take note of these posts, so this is one way to make yourself known to them.
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