You’re young and you’re finally fed up photoshopping your friends’ heads on movie superhero characters and sea creatures. You’re ready for a real job. But where to start?

All of the seminars and courses I’ve attended have one solid piece of advice in common: market yourself.

This is an odd concept to embrace. You no longer have to settle for the measly paper resume or the outdated practice of speaking to employers in person. There is a virtual reality out there that can shape you into whoever you want to be.

Here’s how to do it:

Facebook
Even though you’ve been using Facebook as a way to stalk exes, now it can be a way for executives to stalk you. Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. Would you want to hire this virtual version of yourself? If the answer is no, you’ve got some work to do, my friend.

Start simple: use your real name. Not: PrincessPeach or Renee Zellweger. Employers like to know who they’re truly dealing with. For your profile picture, use a professional headshot if possible. Avoid using pictures of you scantily clad, drinking recklessly, flipping off the camera, or in the act of putting a baby in a microwave.

Don’t put your address for your Contact Info. All you need is a legitimate email address like firstname.lastname@gmail.com… not any of that cutsey stuff about being a unicornluvr or wildliferescuefireman. Those are too complicated.

Finally, do a clean sweep of your wall. Delete everything except for the posts that make you look good like the one where a friend thanked you for helping him move into his apartment or the one that showed you completely dominated a player in ‘Words with Friends’ with your triple word score.

Next Stop: LinkedIn

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