What does your Facebook page say about you?

As well as being a social media site for keeping in contact with friends and family, Facebook can be an important job seeking tool.

While it’s not a specialist networking site like LinkedIn, it can be used for both social networking and personal branding.

If you are thinking of using your Facebook for professional networking, here are some tips to get you started.

Keep it clean

If potential employers are going to be looking at your profile, it’s obvious that you need to keep it clean and professional. Be careful about what you post publicly, what you ‘like’ and the groups you join.

Take off anything that may put you in a negative light, including inappropriate photos or status posts, particularly if they describe a past or current employer in a bad way. You can also change the privacy settings of your content so that only friends can see it.

Create a second profile

Another option is to create a professional Facebook profile using a second email address so you can display your professional interests, knowledge and network to prospective recruiters. A professional Facebook profile will allow you to create a dedicated job related information feed from employers of interest and industry groups. However, be prepared for recruiters to check out your personal account as well.

Join groups

One way to grow your professional network is by joining Facebook groups. Find groups that are relevant to your profession and connect with the people in those groups. Ensure you regularly contribute and join in the conversation to get yourself noticed. It is a public forum and, you never know, your new employer may see it.

Try BranchOut

You can also join Facebook's professional network, BranchOut, which allows you to create a professional profile showing your work history and education. It keeps your usual Facebook profile separate. 

BranchOut allows companies to post jobs to their Facebook page so that jobseekers can apply for positions. It also allows recruiters to search through people on BranchOut and Facebook when looking to hire. 

Facebook can be useful as well as fun. Use it to grow your network and find new opportunities.