Facelook

Almost every young, aspirational professional has some sort of social networking account and it’s most likely to be a Facebook account. In March 2010, Facebook announced its user base had reached 350 million worldwide and an average of 35 million users updated their status each day. So I thought I’d login to my Facebook account and see what’s currently being updated.

“... I wish I wasn’t at work”, “...is eating Ice Cream”, “...had a wonderful time shopping with Ally” – none of these comments seem to conjure up images of aspiration!

I’ve always seen Facebook as a self-marketing tool and by marketing I mean perception. We all have the opportunity to transmit our own thoughts, images, ideas and videos to a community who are all doing the same thing. We are all products and are constantly looking for ways to market ourselves. However, where most users have suffered is by trying to market a product that they’re not. If I’m a naturally quiet person should I highlight that on Facebook too? The chances are that I probably wouldn't.

Just by looking at a friend’s profile page I can see a mismatch of characters, a mismatch of personalities, and a mismatch of ambitions. He has 263 images on his profile; 217 are of him on a night out, 19 of him on holiday, 17 of him when was at university and 10 of him at a football game.

This is a profile of a person who works as an IT consultant, has recently been married, spends most of his time at home with his wife. The 263 images of him on a night out were taken on two separate occasions, yet it’s the domineering force of his profile. Is that a rational reflection of his life? Well no, he spends most of his time at work and with his wife; if anything, his profile should illustrate how much he loves his occupation and wife. Here is a classic example of a misconception of a life.

Shamefully, this misconception can come at a costly price. Facebook is an add-on to your ego and if mismanaged can delude you beyond belief. We have to be wary of what we do with our Facebook accounts because ever so slowly our accounts are believed to be you; your Facebook account is you.

Every aspirational professional should deeply consider what they’re profile emits about them. You should be looking to use it to your advantage. If you’re passionate about computers let your profile reflect that. If you’re interested in investment banking, join groups that can reflect that interest. If you enjoy sports, post relevant sport articles that can reflect that enjoyment.

A recent survey conducted by Careerbuilder.com, found that a staggering 20% of employers reviewed candidates social networking pages before hiring. Of that 33% admitted to not offering a position due to inappropriate content on profile pages.

At the end of the day, you have the choice to create, you have the choice to decide and the choice to change.

Does your profile reflect you and your ambitions?