A new age for career hunting

Photo by: Nick Conley

 

Young adults are considered the most connected generation due to the vast use of digital media. This generation utilizes social media sites more than others and that may change how they look for jobs.

Many students have been warned of the dangers of posting personal information or photos online while job hunting. This concept can be hard since so many students use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as a personal social network site instead of as a potential career-networking arena.

Where is the line drawn on what to post and what not to post?

“It should be obvious not to post risky pictures on your social media accounts,” senior Lindsey Bradley said. “Employers are looking at everything these days such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so posting risky pictures or even following certain people on Twitter could be dangerous.”

It is important to keep your future career goals in mind when considering posting anything on the Internet.

“Sometimes you want to put something on social media, but then you can stop and realize it could make you look bad in the future depending on what you want to do later in life,” freshman Bryce Hyatt said.

Sophomore Caleb Eggleston said students should always keep employers in mind when posting on different sites.

“You should filter what you post because you don’t want to post anything that a boss can see and look down on you for,” Eggleston said. “Anything you wouldn’t want your boss to see, you shouldn’t post online.”

It can be easy to assume employers look solely at Facebook accounts because they reveal more about a person. However, students should use just as much caution with what they post on Twitter.

“It seems like we all depend on technology these days, even when it comes to personal matters,” Bradley said. “It’s stupid when people get in fights on twitter. It can make you look immature to an employer. I would avoid tweeting anything insulting to anyone online, especially on Twitter.”

Hyatt says it is also smart to monitor how you talk about potential employers or companies online.

“I would say you shouldn’t talk bad about your current job or someone at your company,” Hyatt said. “It wouldn’t look good to your employer.”

An easy way out of having your profile checked by potential employers would be to keep everything set to private. However, some students do not feel the need to take this measure with their accounts.

“I view Twitter as more of a public thing, so I tend to take it less seriously,” Bradley said. “I view Facebook as more private because it has more of my personal information on it involving what I do throughout my week and things like that.”

Hyatt said he personally has nothing to hide on social media, so he doesn’t feel the need to keep his profiles set to private.

“I keep all my profiles on public,” Hyatt said. “I’m not trying to hide anything. If you had something to hide, then that would be a reason to put it on private, but I really don’t care what people think of me online.”

Students can monitor their profile more efficiently if they take a moment to think about who will be viewing their post before they update it.

“Both my summer employer and current employer are friends with me on Facebook, so I am more aware of what I post online even though they have never brought anything up to me in person,” Bradley said.

Students are now being introduced to a more professional social media outlet, LinkedIn. As an accounting major, Bradley has recently become aware of the many potential uses of LinkedIn.

“I was at the career fair the other day, and there were numerous employers that were asking if I had a LinkedIn account,” Bradley said. “I guess that’s the business Facebook of today. Potential employers in my field definitely look at that so they can network with you. It’s a good way to be introduced to people and get connected with more job opportunities.”

Bradley said utilizing different social media sites could be a good way to network online.

“I don’t think Facebook is a good way to network,” Bradley said. “It’s too personal. I think Twitter is good because you can follow businesses that you want to apply to and you can see what they are up to.”

While posting personal information on your social networking site can be hazardous to a future career, there are ways to utilize any social media sites to advertise your profile while job hunting.

“It could be good to update your Facebook with information on your classes such as projects you have completed or presentations you have made,” Bradley said. “Also, it could be good to add as many details in your job history on your Facebook as possible.”

There are other ways to use social media for good regarding potential employers.

“Twitter can kind of break down barriers because you can tweet at someone and it’s a good way to get your name out,” Bradley said. “On Facebook you can like the pages of the companies you’re interested in. It can be a great way to network.”

Eggleston said it is important to always remain positive on social networking sites.

“You need to make sure everything is positive and all your pictures are always nice and appropriate,” Eggleston said. “Never bash the job that you currently work for. Make sure you’re always positive about your current job and that you are never complaining.”