LET'S GET PERSONAL: WHY PERSONAL BRANDING IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR CAREER

You have probably already heard someone say, "whenever you post something online, there's no going back," and there is nothing truer, especially when it comes to your online reputation and personal branding. While you may think that your accounts on social media are private and that you have deleted posts that no one could see anymore, you never really know who has access or who can access to your content online.

Often times, people do not even consider the repercussions and consequences of posting something on their social media accounts, which may be tarnishing and negatively affect future career opportunities. This is a mistake that I think happens way too often and the content that people post online should have a lot more thought and consideration behind it.

You may be wondering and questioning if you may have posted something that could negatively affect your career. You might have even just went and checked to make sure. If you are having those doubts, you may want to double check and delete anything you may think will stand out negatively to your employers, even though it will probably still be accessible after you have deleted it. One feature on Facebook that I am thankful for is the Facebook memories feature. While I haven't and really do not plan to post anything that could negatively affect my career, Facebook memories allow me to look back on past posts I have shared, even all the way back to when I first became active on social media. From silly memes shared to random statuses I have written, this feature allows me to delete whatever comes up on any given day, even if it may not be that big of a deal. It's definitely a feature I would recommend if you think you have content that needs deleting.

So, what exactly is personal branding and why is it so important to someone's career? According to an article from Forbes.com, a personal brand is "the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are" and will "differentiate you from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers." Simply put, personal branding is really how you present yourself to the world and if you still do not understand the importance of it, I would reread the aforementioned definition but don't worry, I'll explain more about it.

When considering personal branding, I think this is an appropriate subject to teach high school students as an elective course to ensure this age group is aware of the importance of appropriate social media presence. Teaching them subjects like personal branding will allow them to learn more about their own personal brand and even the the process of starting their own careers in any given industry or workforce. Honestly, I think because they are not even thinking about their career paths until college, personal branding and how their online reputation is perceived in the future isn't even considered. I really think a personal branding and/or appropriate social media presence course should be available at all schools to help guide students in the right direction for when it comes to being marketable by current and future employers.

The article quoted above explains in great detail why personal branding is more important than ever because employers and companies are using social media more and more as a means and tool for recruiting new employees and team members. According to the article, employers not only use social media to screen potential employees but also to monitor current employees they have already hired. 70 percent represent employers who check social media during the application and hiring process, while 43 percent represent employers who continue using social media for those they have hired. So, in other words, it is important to maintain a good and respectable online presence before and after you have been hired on at a company or business because when hired, you are not only representing yourself, you are also representing wherever you are working at.

If you are having trouble developing a good personal brand, the article list a few professionals and entrepreneurs to help guide you to success. They include Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Marie Forleo, and Gary Vaynerchuk. These people are great examples of someone who has put a lot of hard work and effort behind their personal branding, so if you need a little inspiration for your own personal branding, I would check them out. Please note, personal branding does not happen overnight. There should be a lot of planning behind how you want to brand yourself to ensure you are representing yourself honestly and genuinely.

As you can see, personal branding matters and it matters a lot, especially when it comes to your career opportunities. So, my one piece of advice, especially if there are any high schoolers or young millennials reading this, be cautious of what you post online. You never know how easy it is for someone to find something on your social media that could tarnish your career in the future. I understand just as much as the person to the next of how easy it is to post your feelings about someone or something online but really think about it before you do and ask yourself, "will this really matter in the next year or so?" If you think it won't, then that should help you from posting something that could ruin your online reputation and ultimately hinder you from developing effective personal branding.

Has there been a time where the content on your social media has prevented you from getting a job? Do you wish you had known more about personal branding when going into the workforce? I would love to hear your thoughts on personal branding, so leave a comment below!

I hope you learned a lot about personal branding and are able to apply something from this blog post to your own career. As always, thank you for coming to my "column" and I look forward to delving into the next topic, which you can expect next week. Stay tuned!

-CC