As a University student, one of the best ways to express your opinion on world issues is social media. Although it is a free online platform accessible at your fingertips, posting harmful content can damage your career as a student and employee.
Remember that employers complete a background check before hiring an applicant when you use social media. It is a part of their assessment in understanding an individual’s character before the hiring process begins for a job or internship.
We highly recommend updating your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms to ensure it reflects a positive and professional appearance.
As you continue to use social media for personal or professional purposes, we created a list of advice to help you throughout your academic career.
The Importance of Social Media for Your Career
Social media is an effective way to present your work, volunteer and business experience. Your social media profiles should be treated as an online business card with easier communication access with potential employers.
We recommend you are active with posting comments and information related to your industry. If you have a busy schedule and need help with posting, you can use online tools that include Buffer and Hootsuite. These online apps will schedule videos, images and regular written posts for you on a calendar in the future based on the date you select.
Some social media scheduling apps are free, while others require a monthly fee to maintain the service. Nevertheless, it is a great way to stay connected with your audience and present a professional reputation online.
1. Negative Comments About Your University or Employer
We recommend that you apply for your first job or an internship before you graduate because it will help you gain life experience. After you accept an internship and decide to use social media, remember that employers can review your online activity.
If you choose to express your opinions about an incident at work or University, ensure that it is a post that you will be proud of if your manager reads it in the future.
If you are experiencing a stressful situation, speak to a member of your family, friend or school counsellor about your problems. These individuals might provide you with advice that can positively change your life.
2. Accepting the Wrong Friend Requests
When we were children, our parents would remind us to select our friends carefully. This rule also applies to the friend requests you accept on social media. Think about how it will impact your online reputation before you get the friend requests on social media that post inappropriate content. If the connection will not benefit you academically or professionally, it is best to decline the request.
3. Embarrassing Photos
One of the best rules of using social media is not to post images that can potentially ruin your reputation. For example, suppose you have a video of you drinking alcohol or participating in an activity that you will be embarrassed to show your parents. In that case, it is best not to upload it to the internet.
It can be tempting to disregard this advice because you want to share exciting moments of your life with the world. Remember to keep in mind that if you have a colleague or classmate on your friend’s list, it can be shared with other people. As a result, it can negatively impact your ability to be accepted at a top University.
4. Internet Trolling
Internet trolls are social media users that search for an opportunity to insult another user. These individuals read people’s comments to harass users with negative words. If you spend a lot of time on the internet, you might inevitably face this kind of individual. If a social media user insults you, ignore their comments. The act of engaging in further conversation with an internet roll will remain on your timeline.
Depending on the person that reads the post, it can be difficult to discern which person is committing the online attack.
The next time you decide to post a comment, picture or video on social media, ensure that it will reflect your opinions positively. Most online posts can remain on the internet for a lifetime. If you have any questions about this blog or want to share your feedback, please contact us today.
The Best Social Media Career Platforms
LinkedIn is not the only social site you can use for career-related purposes. Platforms that include Twitter and Facebook can help you stay connected to hiring managers and influential people that work at reputable organizations.
LinkedIn:
I recommend you use keywords (i.e. human resources professional) to help you rank high on LinkedIn when recruiters search for candidates to ask to apply for job opportunities. Then, if you decide to invest in a LinkedIn plan, you can create a pipeline of networking contacts.
Facebook:
Human resources recruiters use the Graph Search section of Facebook, which helps them search for bloggers and subject matter experts based on their education. You might be invited to write a guest blog for their company site or meet for coffee for an upcoming opportunity available in the future. If you join a Facebook group based on your industry, you might find a hiring manager that will read your post, blog or video. When you remain active on the social platform, you will be surprised who can see you for work.
Twitter:
Recruiters will often post job openings on Twitter using hashtags, hoping that qualified and educated candidates will find them and apply. If you don’t have the time to search for job openings on Twitter, you can search for managers on Twitter, send a contact request and send a friendly message. There are only 140 characters for you to post on the platform. If you research the top hashtags used by people in your field, add one or two to increase your online reach.
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