Take one look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine and it’s clear that we are living in the age of the “selfie.” Because we’ve gotten to the point where taking a picture of yourself is so common, it needs its own term. Yes, the selfie has many variations from the classical bathroom mirror shot to the duck face and peace sign. But in a time when social media is everywhere and anyone can easily access every detail of your life via the internet, companies aren’t the only ones who need to think about branding.
Remember when you went to an interview and the only thing your prospective employer knew about you beforehand was the sound of your voice? Well, those days are long gone. Now, thanks to Facebook and Twitter, your employer gets a tasty preview of what kind of employee you’ll be even before your first interview. Yeah, you can turn on your privacy settings, but there are ways around that. Every time you type a status or post a picture, you’re sending it out into the universe for everyone to see. Did you know there’s a little option on the corner of everyone’s pictures that allows anyone to download them to their computer (and possibly claim them as their own on a fake profile to lure in potential online dates)? If that doesn’t make you think twice about posting party pictures, I don’t know what will.
First impressions are hard to re-do and if your potential employer or anyone else decides to Google your name, whatever comes up will be their first impression of you. So, next time you browse through your Facebook selfies or start to type a status, give a second thought to what YOUR brand is.
Emily Riopelle, Copywriting Intern
If you’re Webbie, the adorable agency dog, this need not apply.