Making a professional Facebook page...

This week I created something that I had never really considered doing before- I made a professional Facebook page. I had always been aware that future employers could potentially look me up on Facebook to try and get a better understanding of who I was and what my life consisted of, but always figured I would just set my profile to "private" rather than try to sort out possibly "incriminating" photos or posts that an employer would deem unprofessional. But a private Facebook page does not give very much insight into who I am- rather it does the complete opposite and might even cause one to wonder what it is I'm trying to hide! That is when I realized creating an alternate page, primarily for use in the professional world, could be the perfect thing for a potential employer to come across and consider hiring me for a position.

A page like one I created this week gives someone an opportunity to find out what kind of an employee I would be like at the workplace, not what I do on the weekends or on vacation. It gives people a chance to express a resume-like summary of themselves in a digital format, which I think is much more present-day friendly as well as extremely efficient. For those who may be nervous or not perform their best in an in-person interview, a professional Facebook page grants them the option of sort of "boasting" about their own qualities and accomplishments with the help of appropriate photos and summaries. On another level, it can let the employer see what kind of Facebook pages are "liked" and whether or not the person is technically savvy. It opens up a broad range of options that can be very beneficiary to anybody looking to get ahead in the workforce. Especially since when people think of "Facebook" they usually do not think of it helping them go further in their career, those who consider it on a different level will be pleasantly surprised at the results it provides them.

The page can also be kept and regularly updated as I continue to grow in the Interior Design world and could blossom into a sort of reference for potential clients. Perhaps one day my professional page could develop into one like the talented Interior Designer, Candice Olson, who has nearly 40 thousand "likes" on her page which demonstrates a number of images of her recent work: 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Divine-Design-with-Candice-Olson/316108916551

Look for my fellow Ales 204 classmate Shannon Fox's blog where she gives some interesting perspective into what it is like to be on the employer side of things:

http://foxshannon.blogspot.com/

 

A screen grab of my new and professional Facebook page

An introduction to my blog...

     Hello readers, welcome to my new blog! My name is Laura McSporran and I am a twenty year old who is currently studying at the University of Alberta within the Human Ecology program. My major is Clothing and Textiles with a minor in Interior Design, which is where my main ambition lies. This is my second year in at the University of Alberta and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be educated at such an esteemed University. My brother is currently partaking in his second year in Law School at the U of A and acts as a major source of inspiration for me. I always thought it would be a huge life experience to study somewhere else and am interested in pursuing this one day, perhaps in California where I have a few personal connections.

     It is clear that communication will be of vast importance in relation to my future career. In my opinion, the most important aspect of Interior Design, and doing it well, is to thoroughly get to know the client and understand what their wants and needs are, while also suggesting new ideas that they may have never even considered. It will be crucial to "brand" myself to potential clients through the use of social media, like a website depicting my style of design, a visual portfolio and ways to contact myself for a consultation. In a consultation I would ask a broad range of questions to fully allow both the client and myself to reach a greater understanding of what the goal at hand would be. Everyone has different visual tastes and one color may even appear different from one person for another, so it would be my job to ensure that the client is fully aware of and satisfied with the details that would be going into their home. I have been told that attention to detail is what sets a good interior designer from a great one, and will definitely keep that in mind as I step closer and closer to entering the "real world". Another important aspect of communication in Interior Design will be to establish connections with people such as architects, installers and product reps in order to develop reliable relationships to bring about trust and efficiency in my career as well as theirs. Connections are everything in this business!

     Aside from school, I have an extreme love for animals, particularly my own of course. I have both a dog, Max and a horse, Dusty in my life whom I can't imagine being without. I've had Max since I was nine years old and Dusty since age thirteen so it is difficult for me to even remember a time where they weren't a major focal point in my life. Like many of us, I have dreams of traveling-- especially over seas-- and would love to visit places such as Australia, Greece and New York City. Unfortunately for my heart, I am also an avid and devoted Edmonton Oilers fan. While others may be jumping ship to more convenient teams, I will forever stay true to my team despite the heartache we have been going through for the passed five years. One day, we will be successful again...one day.

I am constantly looking for inspiration when it comes to interior design and have found this blog to be both an educational and fun read:

http://blog.2modern.com/

I also just recently found someone who seems to be in the exact same spot as me in regards to our desired future career. Her name is Samantha and she is also in Ales 204 this semester. Nice to meet you, or at least your blog! :)

http://ales204hecolstudent.blogspot.com/

And to put an image to a name, here is a picture of Max and I just before Christmas last year!

Have a great day,

Laura Brittany

(From my personal photo album)