LEAD
Facebook's Alter Ego
By Nicole Bowling
November 2, 2009
Need a job? Want to make some professional connections? Try looking at sites like Facebook and Twitter in a new light.
Lately, it seems like the majority of what you hear about social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter is negative. A girl who had one too many to drink posted inappropriate pictures and didn't get the job. A guy, who called in sick to work and tweeted about his trip to Cedar Point on the same day, got canned. Now, all of us are implored by potential employers, school organizations, and even our parents to clean up our online accounts or risk jeopardizing our futures. We here at LEAD certainly don't want to add to this clamor, but a quick edit of your profile, settings, and pictures on Facebook and Twitter could prove to be beneficial in more ways than you may think.
In the past few years, the University has realized the impact and potential benefits that these social networking sites have and has decided to take advantage their opportunities as well. Scott Tsuchiyama and Lynne Sebille-White, both Career Center advisors, are working on new Career Center initiatives in this area for the present school year and offered up some very useful information for UM students and all of their online accounts. The Career Center itself has everything from a blog to a Twitter account, but its main goal is ensuring that students are aware of how best to use social networking sites. Sebille-White explains that the Career Center's philosophy toward online networking "is to try to pull in a notion of personal branding and community," so that everyone from employers to fellow classmates can see a student's story.
So, what kind of information is important to post on your social networking accounts if you want to, say, find a job, or connect with people in a specific industry? According to Tsuchiyama, there a few things that can really make your accounts professional. First, he says, "post anything that will further your own personal brand." That could mean, "adding a link to your blog or portfolio or even uploading presentations you've done that could show someone about your interests". Edit your "About Me" section to include your professional interests, activities and experience, as well as what you're looking for. A job? An internship? Connections? Also, join company groups and fan their pages, as well as connect with others who have the same professional interests as you. Share your ideas in any way possible!
It is equally important to think about what NOT to post on your social networking accounts. Sebille-White put it perfectly when she explained that "we are in a fishbowl when we have online accounts because we never know who's looking. It's not about changing your lifestyle, just being aware of your privacy settings and interactions on certain sites." Maybe, she says, "keep Facebook for your friends and family and use Twitter or LinkedIn as your social networking site." LinkedIn, a more professional online social networking site, is dominated mostly by professionals already in the industry, and is a great place to go to make many professional connections. You can basically make your LinkedIn profile your resume, complete with recommendation letters. Also, you can ask your current connections to link you to professionals they already know.