Facebook as a Career Advancement

Most people, including and especially myself, are under the impression that Facebook is used as a profile to share all the crazy pictures from the weekend and vacations,  or simply to chat with friends.  Most of us turn to Facebook on our iPhones or blackberries when were bored, or on the bus ride to school just to read the gossip and information for the day.  So, given the way most of us use Facebook we can see how it can be portrayed as such a casual environment.  But the truth is....many of us may not have been aware of how professional, and useful Facebook can be.

Recently, and more commonly, Facebook is being used as an "online resume."  More business' are creating Facebook profiles as forms of advertisement, and employees are sharing their career accomplishments and interests all in one page.  As Zeke Camusio states in the article "Why Facebook and Business Networking Go Hand in Hand" Facebook has advanced and quickly became a powerful business networking medium. I have created an example of a professional Facebook page to show how it may be used below:

Profile photo: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pediatricgenetics/images/pediatric-genetics-woman.jpg                    

Other photos: http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/Nutrition-Month-2012/nutrition_month_colour_ENG.aspx?width=250&height=250, http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/003/Purple/46/cd/05/mzi.qmmbbbcp.png, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2DF0VfOC5Aj0fvclyeTtoZcbQwHuHxwUmN-gInXZYZ6IyF2BNmW7bg_8vycUgUixLCc56UTGPPDvP2Y21AUBrWmjgE7HRpru7is9QzRhK_uVWQpS06-D7JtBDuInB1hCjZodxgtQPQtW/s400/nutrition+month.jpg, http://www.campusdish.com/NR/rdonlyres/9ED1E085-63B5-4E9D-BE24-0FD72D526340/0/canada_food_guide_2.jpg

This page was created as an "online resume," or an extra source of documentation to pass on to potential employers.  Creating a professional page can help attract attention of those in the same industry as you, or to potentially be found for a job opportunity or research project.  I know most of you were probably under the impression that Facebook was all fun and games but I am now confident to say you were wrong!  

For another sample Facebook page and the opinion of a fellow ALES204 student click here.