Branding Yourself Online

July 2, 2015      |      Posted on Posted in Total Well-Being
Branding Yourself Online

 

Millennials are known for being social media savvy. Most of our phones are filled with apps for connecting with others. If there’s something new trending- chances are we already know about it. Yes, getting your lip-syncing video on Vine’s popular page or over 100 likes on an Insta selfie is an accomplishment. But college is the time to start thinking bigger on branding yourself.

Give your social media a healthy makeover and do it now. It is likely that when you show up to your next job interview they have already Googled you. While everyone seems to focus on what you shouldn’t be posting, aka anything offensive or illegal. Here are some tips for what you SHOULD be doing online.

  1. Claim your Name- Claim your full first and last name on every social media site you can to make it easier for employers to find you. Check out Knowem to find out what is still available- before someone else does.
  1. Find Your Expertise- Have a running list of areas you could say you are an expert in prepared for future interviews. On LinkedIn, add these to your profile under skills. If you don’t have a LinkedIn, go make one right now!
  1. Professional Profile Pic- Making your social media look professional starts with the photo. Use the same one for every page. Check out IFTTT to update them all at once. Some of the pros say to choose a photo facing forward shows that you believe in your work or an action shot doing something related to your field.
  1. Privacy Options- Keeping all of your social media pages private might seem easiest, but having a social media footprint doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Show enough publicly for employers to look at your pages and see what you’re all about such your school, clubs and job.
  1. Monitor Mentions– See who is mentioning you online and if it is something you want posted. Talkwalker and Google Alerts can notify you anytime your name comes up online.
  1. Snazzy Headline- That small sentence under your name is like an ad for yourself. Make it a good one. We’ve all seen the generic- “coffee addict, Gemini, lover of life.” But if you can come up with something new you’ll get a lot more attention. Focus on key words of the field you’re in.
  1. Personal Website- Make things simple. Create a personal website to house all links to all of your social media pages on WordPress, Weebly or Square Space.

Want more college tips? Contact ACI Specialty Benefits at (800) 932-0034 or info@acispecialtybenefits.com. ACI can also be found on Twitter, Facebook,Google+,Pinterest, orYouTube.

Anna Goforth, Student Ambassador and College Blogger for ACI Specialty Benefits, is a Journalism and Public Relations student at Point Loma Nazarene University. Anna writes for ACI’s HealthyU™ blog while keeping up with college life. After moving from Alabama to California for college, Anna spent a semester abroad in London where she traveled throughout Europe.