With all the buzz about online networking sites, have you ever thought about how they could help and hurt your job and career search?
I recently saw a comic that depicted a woman sitting at her office desk. On her computer screen, she was looking at her Facebook home page which read, "You have 17 requests to get on with your work." We have all probably been distracted from class, a job or studying with 'facebook stalking' or 'tweeting' every detail of our day.Yet, even social networking can be productive if used the right way- especially when looking for a job, internship or career.
LinkedIn is an online social networking site that is getting a lot of hype lately and I think it deserves some attention from college students. LinkedIn is a professional site where you can connect to former colleagues, classmates and potential employers. Your profile basically looks like an online resume and there are options to search for other people on LinkedIn by career, company and university. What makes LinkedIn stand out? First of all- the people who are using it. LinkedIn seems to draw the professional and professional-wannabes so you won't see 30 picture albums and everyone's favorite quotes on their page. In fact, Members from all Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn. Secondly, LinkedIn features a Recommendation option where former employers can post a recommendation to your profile. Lastly, through LinkedIn, your connections can "forward" you to any of their contacts. This means anyone they know with a potential job opening can see your information in a flash (maybe even before the position is posted elsewhere)!
I also mentioned Twitter and you may be wondering just how you could "tweet" your way to a job. Twitter has gained a large popularity among companies and organizations for publicity and media purposes. As long as you avoid trivial content in your tweets, search out companies in your field or that you would like to work for. Not only do some employers post links to job openings, but it also serves as a great way to keep up to date with current news and activity within the company! Consider using Twitter's search tool to look for keywords that describe an ideal job. By posting a URL in your Tweet, you can also use Twitter as a branching out point to market any other online work you may have- blog, published articles, an online portfolio, features of your work, etc.
By now, most college students have figured out that monitoring your Facebook profile is also essential to your social networking image. Making your profile 'private' can help, but you still never know who could gain access to the notes, pictures and comments you post. Keep that in mind as you are adding content to your page!
Here is some additional advice when it comes to networking websites:
*Manage your online image. Once you put something out on the World Wide Web, don't assume that people won't be able to find it. Internet content has a long shelf life and may even be searchable after you think it is long gone.
*Monitor the comments and postings on your profiles and the ones you leave for others. I read a story about an friend who posted the following on an employee's Facebook wall: "I had so much fun hanging out today! We need to skip work more often!" The employee's supervisor happened to be browsing her page the next day and discovered the comment!
*Google yourself- employers do! A recent study by the executive search firm ExecuNet found that 77 percent of recruiters run searches of candidates on the Web to screen applicants. Check to make sure that anything you don't want a company to see is not out there!
If you want to find more about online networking, check out these articles:
10 Job Tweeters You Should Be Following
Tweet Yourself to a New Job
10 Tips to Enhance your Job Search on LinkedIn
Using Twitter and Facebook to Find a Job
-Courtney H
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