How social media can have an impact on your Beauty Career
Social media has grown so much over the years and has become a big influence on everyone’s life. Some in good ways and others, well, not so good. Most of us out there probably have a personal Facebook page where we like to stay connected with our families and friends. But for some it’s not only a way for us to stay connected to people but it’s like our voice where we can share our thoughts, ideas, and especially creativity & talents. So how can Facebook and other social media platforms help you to build and grow your career? And how can they hurt your career?
Take a Step Back
As you are beginning your career as a future professional and you start to begin the job hunting process take a step back and ask yourself what kind of first impression would I give to a potential employer. Did you know that 63% of recruiters check social media sites to find out more about potential employees? Make sure that your profile picture and cover photos showcase a good image of you. Even though you may have your privacy settings set up tight, they’re not infallible and most people can still view your profile image. So if you have a picture of yourself standing in front of the mirror half dressed (c’mon you know what type of pictures I mean) how do you think that looks as a first impression? Is that the image you want to give that potential employer? Also, make sure that others are not posting or tagging unflattering pictures of you. A pretty good habit to get into is frequently Google your name to see how you appear online.
Think Before You Post
Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment when we are out with friends having a good time or when something tends to get us really angry. Before you decide to share your thoughts with the whole world you need to think on how this is going to impact your life and career. I can’t stress this enough that everything you post online is ALWAYS there. Photos, status updates, comments, tweets, blog posts are all trackable and one little post can be the point where it can ruin your career and your future.
Building your Presence Online
So we talked about a couple of things that you need to be careful as you upload and post things to your personal social media networks. However, not having a presence online may also hinder you. Just think about it…what if an employer had two candidates up for the same stylist position both with good resumes and they decided to Google each of them. Under candidate 1, they saw a nice professional presence along with photos of their work and a nice following and for ‘Candidate 2’; they didn’t have much a presence online. Who do you think the employer may lean towards??
Now let’s go through how to build your professional presence online to make you a good candidate for that beauty career you always wanted:
1. Plan a social media strategy. Think about how you want to portray your self as a professional. Start researching different industry networks and partners. Also, start gathering photos of your best work.
2. Build a professional profile online. Create professional profiles on different social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Keep the information on these platforms strictly professional related. Don’t go and post pictures of your self out with friends.
3. Use the Social Media Platforms to Network. Once you create your professional profiles use these networks to start following as many beauty industry people as you can. Engage and interact with other professionals as well by commenting and sharing their work. This will help to keep you up on some of the latest trends and events going on out there.
4. Consider starting a blog. Keeping a blog of all the work that you have done, things that you have learned and tips that you would like to share with others will help build your e-reputation, increase your expertise and give you a place to showcase your knowledge and credibility. Again, remember to keep everything you blog about related to the beauty industry.
Are you using social media to build your professional beauty career? If so, how has it been successful with your career?