All we hear as college students is “Watch out for what you put on your social medias!” ‘Don’t put pictures up that you wouldn’t want your Grandmother to see’ is probably a good rule to go by. But, this past week I went to a Social Media conference about how it actually affects your chance at getting a job. Be smart with what you post!
Facebook: Companies say that this isn’t that big of a worry of theirs. If your profile is private, they will more than likely not bring in FBI status security to find that one picture of you doing a keg stand. They did however warn the students that even though your profile may be private, there is always one to two degrees of separation between you and someone at your potential working environment. So, employers may not personally see the keg stand picture, but they may hear about it.
Twitter: Once again, if your tweets are private, you are pretty safe. If they are public, don’t freak out that much. Employers aren’t running to your twitter account to see if you went to the gym this afternoon. They may take a peek and see how you carry yourself for the general public to see online. The Grandmother rule applies here too. Don’t want your Grandmother to see that tweet about that sick party last night? You probably don’t want your future employer to see it either.
Google+: Do people even have one of these? Anyway, if you do, follow the company and put them in your circle. If they happen to use that profile often, they will see that you are putting in the effort to try to connect with the company.
LinkedIn: If you don’t have one of these yet, get on it. This social media site is the number one place employers go to! LinkedIn is your professional platform so choose a wise profile picture. One of the key points that most employers said was to fill out your profile completely! Nothing is worse than trying to hire someone without seeing his or her skills and past occupations. A complete profile may lead to employers reaching out to you, instead of the other way around! LinkedIn can show the side of you that your one page resume may not show. Another hint: just because you connected with someone in the company you want to work with, does not mean you can message them asking which job would be best for you according to your skills. That is your job, connect to the company’s page and look at the job openings. LinkedIn is strictly professional; keep that in mind.
As long as you are smart about your social media and connect to your hopeful future company in the correct ways, your fun way to procrastinate should not hold you back in getting the job or internship you want. Smart tweeting and happy posting!