South Tangerang— Social media is no longer used solely for entertainment and social interaction. For vocational high school students, digital platforms can serve as spaces to build a professional image and showcase skills to potential employers. This finding emerged from a community service program conducted by Muhammad Reza Fauzian, Rizky Ramadhani Arsyah Putra, Jihaan Ummu Kultsum, and Bilqis from the Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Communication and Design, Universitas Pamulang. The program was held on April 23, 2026, at SMK Pustek Serpong, South Tangerang, involving 36 Grade XI students. The activity increased students’ awareness of personal branding, digital footprint management, and preparation for an increasingly digital workplace.
The program was developed in response to the way students were using social media. Initial observations at SMK Pustek Serpong showed that all students already had social media accounts, but none had been using them specifically for personal branding. Most accounts were primarily used for entertainment and social interaction. The situation revealed a gap between students’ high levels of social media use and their ability to utilize these platforms productively for education and career development.
This issue has become increasingly relevant as competition in the labor market grows. Vocational high school graduates are expected to possess not only technical skills but also communication abilities, confidence, and the capacity to present their competencies effectively. Personal branding can help students communicate their identity, expertise, and unique value to potential employers.
The Universitas Pamulang team emphasized that social media can become an important tool for preparing students for these changes. When managed strategically, digital platforms can help students establish a professional identity while they are still in school. At the same time, careless online activity can create a digital footprint that may negatively influence how students are perceived when they enter the workforce.
The activity used an interactive training approach rather than relying solely on lectures. Students received material covering the basic concept of personal branding, the importance of a professional image in the digital era, social media strategies, online communication ethics, and digital footprint management. The sessions were followed by discussions, experience-sharing activities, simulations, case studies, mentoring, and evaluation.
Students were encouraged to reconsider how they use their social media accounts. Instead of focusing only on creating entertaining content, they learned how their online profiles could communicate their abilities and personal characteristics. Students began identifying their individual strengths and considering how those strengths could be presented through their respective digital platforms.
The results showed a noticeable shift in students’ perceptions of social media. Platforms previously viewed mainly as sources of entertainment began to be understood as potential digital portfolios. Students were able to connect their vocational competencies with content that could demonstrate their skills to a wider audience.
Student engagement was particularly visible during the discussion and question-and-answer sessions. Many questions focused on practical challenges related to building a professional identity online. Students asked how to address negative digital footprints from the past, how to consistently create content related to their vocational fields, and how to develop greater confidence when presenting their skills in digital spaces.
The program also highlighted the importance of developing a clear professional identity. Students were encouraged to select one or two areas of expertise that they wanted to communicate consistently. Their professional identity could then be strengthened through profile information, biographies, visual presentation, and content that was relevant to their vocational specialization.
This approach helped students recognize that school projects, creative work, and experiences gained through field work practice can become part of a digital portfolio. Through platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn, students can present their vocational competencies to the public and potentially attract the attention of industry representatives even before entering a formal recruitment process.
The findings also indicate that personal branding can help students differentiate themselves from other job candidates. When students consistently present content related to their areas of expertise, social media can become a space for developing an authentic professional image and strengthening employability. At the same time, students need to recognize that their online activities can create a long-term digital footprint that may influence their professional reputation.
Overall, the program demonstrated improvements in student engagement, confidence, independent learning, awareness of digital footprints, and preparedness for changes in the labor market. Students were encouraged to move beyond the role of passive job seekers and begin developing themselves as vocational talents capable of presenting their skills and professional identities in digital environments.
Muhammad Reza Fauzian and the Universitas Pamulang team concluded that personal branding among vocational high school students can be strengthened through three interconnected approaches: presenting vocational competencies through digital portfolios, consistently highlighting distinctive personal characteristics, and protecting professional reputations from potentially harmful digital footprints. These strategies helped shift students’ perceptions of social media from an entertainment tool toward an instrument for career investment.
The findings also provide implications for schools. Digital personal branding and digital footprint literacy can be incorporated into counseling and career preparation programs. Schools can also provide centralized digital portfolio platforms where students can document their work and competencies in a structured manner. Continued mentoring is recommended so that students can move beyond understanding personal branding concepts and develop professional accounts that are genuinely useful when they begin applying for jobs.
For vocational high school students, the central message is straightforward: what appears on social media can become part of a professional identity. Building personal branding is therefore not simply about making an account look attractive. It is about consistently and responsibly communicating skills, character, achievements, and professional interests. When managed effectively, social media can become a bridge connecting students’ competencies with the needs of the modern workforce.
Authors
Muhammad Reza Fauzian — Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Communication and Design, Universitas Pamulang.
Rizky Ramadhani Arsyah Putra — Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Communication and Design, Universitas Pamulang.
Jihaan Ummu Kultsum — Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Communication and Design, Universitas Pamulang.
Bilqis — Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Communication and Design, Universitas Pamulang.
Research Source
“Penyuluhan Terkait Personal Branding di Media Sosial sebagai Upaya Meningkatkan Kesiapan Kerja Siswa SMK Pustek Serpong,” Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Formosa (JPMF), Vol. 5, No. 4, August 2026, pp. 357–366.
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