Why you should make your Facebook profile employer friendly

Lately, I've been reading alot of articles posted by job recruiters, HR managers, and bloggers about social media and the hiring procedure. It is known that employers most employers check out our social media profiles prior to us even being called for an interview. As much as we would like to think that our Facebook and Twitter accounts are for the sole enjoyment of our friends and associates, the reality is that social media is becoming an integral part of who we are and what we represent all wrapped up in 140 characters.

What steps have you taken, out side of account privacy, have you taken to position your social media identity for future employers and customers? Do you think it's important? Do you think what you represent on social media is an important factor in you being hired by a company?

Definitely check out this infographic from Mashable.com to change your mind if you think it's not important.

An Overview of the Social Media Crash Course (#bizsuccess)

Like I discussed yesterday, last Wednesday I attended the Online Marketing & Social Media Crash Course with keynote speaker Starr Hall sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine, Sprint, and Deluxe. I can't tell you how valuable the information was for me as well as my business. Below is a snippet of what we learned, you're going to have to just catch the next free seminar!

• Advertising, Promotion, Publicity, Public Relations, and Marketing ARE NOT all the same things!
• But we use social media to achieve the above actions.
• The foundation to your business is your image...your image is your website.
• Communicating to potential clients one-way will force them to leave your site and you without a client
• You website needs at least 3 calls to action (click here, try this, do this)
• If visitors to your site have to think...they're confused...if they're confused, that equals a NO
• Three things you must do to be successful with social media branding:
• Post consistently
• Post personality
• Build Social Proof (build a presence and prove that your company is the one to go to; be a buzzmaker, get people to back you)
• Choose quality not quantity
• I discussed this here.
• The more people you know, the less you know them!
• Top 4 mistakes made with social media: (are you doing this right now?)
• sites and posts aren't current
• incorrect grammar and "net-i-quette"
• being a pushy sales person >:(
• being just a voice, not engaging

That was just a snippet of what Starr taught us that day, I'd offer to post the second half...but well, you're going to have to catch it at the next seminar! Utilize Starr Hall's tips and tricks for being a better social marketer and watch your quality engagement go up!

The Unemployed Entrepreneur

Should you friend or follow you co-workers?

We enjoy their company at work because they make the day go by faster. They are there for us when we need to borrow office supplies or a shoulder, but should we take our professional relationships outside of the office and into the social media realm? In this day and age when twitter, facebook, and other social media are a staple in our everyday and professional lives, the question of "should you friend or follow your co-workers and bosses?" is bound to come up. I myself have been asking this question. I'm very close to my manager at work and the company has a great familial atmosphere. With all that, I still don't want the line between my professional self and my regular self (via the net) to get crossed.

Think about it. How serious would you take your supervisor if you saw a picture of them chugging at last year's Christmas party? Or how serious would they take you as you live-tweet The Real Housewives of Atlanta?


Yes social media is there for us to connect to each other, but you have to choose how and where you want to connect with people. Especially people you work with. Below are some tips on following your comrades at work.

Tip #1: If you are going to send a friend request to a co-worker, create a profile for them and set your settings accordingly. The best thing about Facebook is you can create limited profile settings and groups. I have one for family and co-workers. Sometimes I just don't want them to see some of the things I post or have access to what others write on my wall. And thus, I act accordingly.

Tip #2: Be aware of who follows you on Twitter. If you are smart, you have set up your Twitter account to alert you when someone follows you. If you are even smarter, you have created a profile for business and another for everything else a la "You VS You the Brand on Twitter." The moment you find out that someone from your job is following you, that is the day you should decide whether or not to censor your tweets.

Tip #3: Want to connect with your co-workers without messing with the integrity of your "hilarious" late night tweets? Linked-In and other professional social media sites were created for exactly that purpose. You'll still be able to see what they are up to and send them messages, but it is through a platform built specifically for professionals.

Tip #4: You've connected with your work family. You've created your separate settings for them. Now what? KISS. Keep it Short and Simple. You don't want to be that overbearing Twitter follower or obnoxious Facebook friend. Maintain the professionalism, even from the comfort of your own computer.

Social media is a fun tool to connect and communicate with people, but when what you're communicating on the internet takes a shot at what you want to communicate in your career, you have to really decide if it's best to communicate and connect with those from your job. If you're going to do it, you should at least know how to do it in the most professional way possible. With privacy settings on Facebook, professional sites like Linked-In and applying simple rules when you connect, you can set the tone of professionalism online.

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur