Higher Ed Utah

Today’s Real Life College Student Blog comes from Utah college student, Cole Spicker.  He currently studies Chemistry and Spanish and really enjoys reading, good food and great friends.  Cole admits he’s a little “obsessed with education” and “hopes to make lasting, positive contributions to society.”  Last week, Cole covered the basics of Facebook professionalism and social media best practices (“Excuse me, but your Facebook is totally showing”).  This week, Cole returns with an explanation of how you can successfully employ social media to greatly improve your resume and career search efforts.  We hope you enjoy this week’s Real Life College Student blog, “How to Use Social Media to Create Your Personal Brand.”

Last week, we covered a popular issue with employers and admissions offices across the nation: using Facebook and other social media sites as a way to get to know possible future employees, and using your posted information to determine if you are a fit for the job, company, or university.  Really, we covered the “don’ts” of social media.  Today, I hope that we can learn some “do’s” of social media.

In past posts I have used phrases like “set yourself apart from others” and “get ahead of the game.”  Using social media to create your “personal brand” has been all the rage for job hunters coast to coast.  What steps should you take to create such a beast to behold?  Let’s take a deeper look…

1)  Get LinkedIn.

• I cannot say enough good things about LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a site that allows you to upload your resume that is viewable by recruiters and companies.  LinkedIn provides these entities a way to contact you and inquire for additional information.  Since LinkedIn began in 2002, over 100 million people have accounts.  Similarly, LinkedIn boasts executives from all Fortune 500 companies as members; Seventy-three of the Fortune 100 companies have used LinkedIn as a solution to hire employees.

• In short, you cannot go wrong with a LinkedIn account.  Be sure to ask for recommendations from previous employers on LinkedIn.  With this information, recruiters can easily determine what type of employee you are.  There are also many groups on LinkedIn that post job opportunities in your field.  Play it smart; more and more companies are beginning to use LinkedIn to find future employees.

2)  Get Twitter.  And start tweetin’ away.

• Create your account and complete it 100 percent, with profile picture, short biography, and links to other social media and networking sites (i.e. LinkedIn)

• Twitter offers an amazing keyword search (Twitter Advanced Search) that allows you to pinpoint a specific job, company or person.  More importantly, however, you can form direct connections with others like you across the globe.  Connect with others in your nook.

• Do searches that pertain to your area of expertise or a keyword search that would pertain to industry in which you are looking to obtain a job.  There are countless companies that post job openings on Twitter daily.  Follow and converse with them.  If you tweet about your own job search, you may appear in in others’ searches.  Perhaps those individuals will lend a helping hand and be the means by which you get a job!  For an in-depth description of how to use Twitter’s Advanced Search capabilities to your advantage, see “HOW TO: Use Advanced Twitter Search to Find a Job” from Mashable.

3) Create a blog or a website.

• This is a big step and will require dedication.  Use your site or blog to brand yourself and participate in others’ blogs.  Being an active participant in your niche will not only get you noticed by those similar to you (which can also help you find a job), but also by industry experts.

• By doing thorough research and posting your ideas and thoughts, you show that you are knowledgeable and that you care about your field, which will captivate readers.  In your web space, be sure to include a link to your resume, links to your various social media networking sites, contact information, and even a photo if you’d like.

By following these three steps, I am confident that you will find a job of your choice.  Through experience, I have determined that I want to spend the days of my life working with a company that I admire and with a job that I enjoy.  If that is the case, the job won’t be work, but a conduit of creation and diversion … and won’t be so “work-like” after all.  Cheers!

Find Real Life College Student blogger, Cole Spicker, on Facebook and Twitter.

From UHEAA:  As you know after reading Cole’s blog, social networking sites have proven themselves to be some of the most useful research and job search tools available today.  While you’re utilizing the web and all of its plentiful resources (especially social media!), make sure to be smart and keep it professional.  If utilized incorrectly, social media has the potential to have a harmful impact on your professional life and career.  For more information on Facebook Professionalism and social media best practices, take a look at Cole Spicker’s blog from last week, “Excuse me, but your Facebook is totally showing!”

Check out past editions of the Real Life College Student Blog.

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