Whether you are a job seeker (wish to take on that perfect job or join your dream company) or an employer (looking for the most qualified and experienced candidates to join your company), you must get out there and expand your professional network any which way you can. Branchout.com is known to help!
What is Branchout.com?
Branchout.com is the official website of BranchOut, a fascinating new application on Facebook which allows users to connect with other Facebook users for professional networking & career growth. The name itself speaks volumes about how individuals can use this tool to branch out from their present networks and open new avenues for career opportunities by simply connecting with the most number of effective people within their friends’ networks.
Founded in July 2010 by CEO Rick Marini, BranchOut has gained tremendous popularity in a very short span of time. BranchOut has over 500,000 active users and this number is growing constantly.
Facebook – Connecting beyond the people in your life
If you thought Facebook was restricted only to social & personal networking, think again! By using the BranchOut application, Facebook users can now use the power of Facebook networks to invite friends and friends of friends to connect with them in the professional sphere.
As a Facebook BranchOut user, you can tap into your friends’ networks, career network with some of the most successful professionals, search for better jobs and develop strong inside connections, thus, getting closer to your dream job / company. If you are an employer, you can post a job / vacancy at your firm and hear from hundreds and thousands of interested candidates, making it easier to recruit smartly.
Features & Benefits of Using BranchOut
1. Your Professional Profile on Facebook (FB)
If you haven’t yet signed up for BranchOut.com, you are probably still using your personal Facebook profile which is meant to connect and share with the people in your life – your family, friends and acquaintances. Once you sign up for BranchOut and start using it on Facebook, you have the unique opportunity to expand your presence on Facebook, professionally too.
Unlike your personal Facebook profile, your BranchOut profile on FB strictly presents data and information relevant to your job and career. It is a safe and secure tool for sharing professional information such as your career summary, education, work history, mutual connections and endorsements, etc with other professionals who are active on Facebook.
2. Your Opportunity to Build Strong Professional Networks
Having a strong professional network is always a plus when it comes to progressing in your career and with BranchOut, building a healthy career network is easy. Think about how your work network across hundreds and thousands of companies will grow once you connect with friends and hundreds and thousands of their friends! However, keep in mind that BranchOut provides business-related details by pulling together such information from your friends’ profiles. What this means is that you will only be able to see such data if friends of friends have added these details to their profiles and made it available.
3. Your Chance to Develop Inside Connections
How many times have you wished you knew someone in some of the top companies who could help you make inroads for yourself and discover lucrative job opportunities? Wouldn’t it be great if you knew someone who already worked in your company of interest? With the help of BranchOut, your wish could very well turn into reality! By searching for a company on BranchOut, you will be able to see all those people who have worked and are currently working there. Chances are these people are already a part of your network or your friends’ network! Yes, you can see which of your friends’ connections have worked with the company you are interested in working with, if they too are using the BranchOut app.
4. Your One-Click Job Search Engine
Searching for that perfect job just got easier with BranchOut. Using the job search feature, you can browse through over 3 million job listings based on criteria such as location, position, company name or any other keyword. What’s more, you will also be able to view your inside connections at each company – it can’t get better than this!
Showcase Your Endorsements & Request for Introductions
You can add more power to your BranchOut professional profile by requesting clients, customers, employers and employees to endorse you. These recommendations are showcased on your profile and enhance your professional standing. You can even request your connections and those of your friends’ (friends-of-friends) to introduce you into a company you are interested in joining – just what you need to move one step closer to materialising your career dreams.
Now that you know why you should use BranchOut, let’s take a look at How to Use BranchOut.com –
In order to use BranchOut professional networking service, you must have a Facebook account. If you don’t have one and are on the Branchout.com Home Page, sign up for Facebook. If you do have a Facebook account, log in to your account. You will be immediately taken to the BranchOut application.
1. To setup your BranchOut application via Facebook, login to your Facebook account, search for BranchOut application. On this page, click on login and sign up for the application if you haven’t already. BranchOut will request you to “Allow Permission” to access your basic information, send you an email, post to your wall, access your profile information and access your friends’ information.
2. Next, you can fill out your professional profile information beginning with a Career Summary and save it. If you prefer it, you can even opt to import your profile information via LinkedIn, if you already have a professional profile there. All your profile data will be imported and presented on your BranchOut profile. Click on Continue.
3. Now you will be presented with your most connected friends. Click on “Share” to invite them to use the BranchOut application. Click on “Continue”.
Complete your profile & you’re all set to use BranchOut to avail its benefits!
What do you think of BranchOut? Please enter your questions and comments below.
