Have you activated Facebook’s new Timeline feature? Many of my friends have expressed concern over the new layout, and are afraid to see college red cup photos reemerging! Most employers are using Facebook to screen candidates.
Here are a few tips for polishing up your profile:
- Use the cover photo to reveal a little bit about your personality. Be creative! Promote your interests or hobbies. Here are a few examples.
- Consider limiting the audience for your past posts to keep a professional image. Without limiting the audience for your past posts, they may be searchable by your friends and possibly the public.
- Choose a professional profile photo. Many users use tools like Rapportive that pull up your profile photo and links to your social networks in the emails you send.
- Take advantage of this opportunity to share unique and positive information about yourself online. Consider making a post you shared about your industry or a local news story public.
- Use the View As tool to see exactly how your profile appears to the Public or a specific individual. Check to see which of your photo albums and profile information are public. Is your membership in a silly group public? While you, most likely, have nothing to hide, you might not want to share family photos with the public.
If you have additional concerns about Timeline, Facebook’s Help Center is an excellent resource.
