Student Perspective: Social Media - Get on the Bandwagon


You too can use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs and Twitter) for the purpose of finding a job! I attended several CDS Webinars where speakers educated us on the variety of ways we can utilize these sites for our personal branding and selling ourselves to recruiters. Here are a few helpful highlights from the webinar series:
 

  • Traffic is 250,000 people on FB daily and over 5 million members worldwide.
  • Do not disclose your birth year, personal address, phone number, or information that could jeopardize your financial and identity security.
  • Utilize the Bio section to communicate your career ambitions and current situation as a student or employee.
  • Check privacy settings on photos and information.
  • Filter through friends and make new ones.
  • Become a fan of companies or people of interest.


  • Job recruiters scour profiles every day in search of potential employees.
  • Choose a picture that is an enlarged head shot.
  • The title under your name is the most important first impression; use strategic keywords to communicate your interests and skills (Example: Instead of saying "Student at Auburn University," rephrase it to "Student of X Major, X campus position and X interest at Auburn University")
  • Tell stories instead of listing experiences in the Summary section. Pick 3+ positions where you can talk about a Problem and Resolution example that exemplify skills you have acquired through that position. This is an effective way to communicate your personality and accomplishments.
  • Visit the open forum questions and provide an educated answer to build your credibility or network with people of similar interests.


  • Follow companies or individuals of interest
  • Post insightful questions or tips related to your job search

Blog

  • Popular blog sites can be found in the article on BlogTap
  • Share your interests, personality, creative writing and art
  • Follow and comment on blogs to build relationships and gain ideas for your job pursuits
You can sync your Twitter, Facebook Status, and LinkedIn to save time and type only one status that is updated through all your Social Media sources.Tweet Deck manages all your social media accounts and keeps you informed of people's posts or comments
 
Save time, stay efficient, and use these valuable resources for advancing yourself in to a career.
 

 
Margaret Kloess '10

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