“You can’t stop it! You can only hope to contain it!”
This phrase, akin to an oft used tagline coined by a sportscaster in the 1990s to describe the athletic dominance of a player, can also be used to describe the prevalence of social media in our daily lives. As social media relates to communicating with potential employers, networking opportunities have gone well beyond traditional face-to-face interaction to incorporate various social media platforms. So how do can you best leverage social media to the benefit of your career?
Students need to appreciate that any social media post has the potential to help or hinder the chances of landing that desired job. Roughly 70% of recruiters in a CareerBuilder.com survey stated that they use social media to prescreen candidates. Over half of those surveyed use the results of their social media searches to discredit potential candidates. Thus, it is important for students to ensure that their social media reflect well upon them.
Consider asking yourself, “Is this worth sharing?” before you post something to your social media accounts. Make sure you judiciously consider what you post. Also, it is important for your social media accounts to be active. Update your content regularly with meaningful content, but not to the extent that it appears that this is all you do!
LinkedIn, for instance, is ideal for making connections and promoting your personal “brand”. In order to make the best “first social media” impression, a student’s LinkedIn account should be professional with updated employment/project information, reference to accomplishments as well as their desired field of study, and a current, professional looking headshot. And make sure that what is stated in your LinkedIn account coincides with what you present on your resume!
The use of social media can certainly boost the chances of students connecting with potential employers, if done in a professional manner. As Erik Qualman, a noted social media author, states, “We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it.”
