Le Moyne College Stories

Remember chatting on AOL Instant Messenger for hours? Or wasting unnecessary amounts of time on choosing your MySpace theme? That was just the start of social media sites taking over every last second of our personal free time. Now, it has developed into not only just networking with our closest friends and family, but also an extensive network of our friends’ friends, distant relatives and
even professional recruiters.

Social media has surpassed being as personal as it once was, and can be used for a variety of purposes including: simple entertainment, crafting and cooking ideas, reading daily news, finding jobs and much more! If you’re in college, or nearing the end of your college career, “adultifying” your online presence is more important now than ever before. Here are 5 easy ways to take your social media sites to the next level and help with your job search:

1. Keep it professional, obviously.
   We’ve all been told at least once to watch what we upload or post to our social sites, such as Facebook. Whether we follow the advice or not is up to us. While it’s fun to show off our personal lives to our friends and families, you never know who might come across your profile. Don’t let your next potential boss or professor see what you did last weekend (even if it’s not what it looked like!) Keep your account set to private and start weeding out the old photos and
   personal information.
   
   Instead, post about your accomplishments! It’s a great way to keep your followers updated while also adding a professional flare. That way, if someone unexpected comes across your page, they get to see the best side of you.
2. Always have an updated bio!
   Have you checked out your biography on Twitter or Facebook lately? If it still resembles your MySpace profile from eight years ago or includes an ode to your last boyfriend/girlfriend, the backspace key will be your best move!
   
   Instead of including information about other people you like, add details about yourself such as your interests, current job(s) and goals. Then, once you have summarized yourself in a professional and distinctive way, don’t forget to keep updating! Prospective professionals can get a sense into who you are, what you do, and what you want to in the future in just a few moments by doing this.
3. Add workable links
   Is this sounding tedious because of all the different social sites you maintain? If so, it will totally be worth it in the end. Once your update and “adultify” them, you can insert links to each one on all platforms so that your followers can be connected to you from all angles. Beyond adding the link to your Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn accounts, direct visitors to your personal blog site, art gallery, or any other digital media site that you want to share!
4. Keep on hash tagging!
   Hash tagging on Twitter, Facebook, and even  Instagram can be super entertaining, but remember it actually does have a purpose! For example, every time you hash tag “#SorryNotSorry,” it is accumulated into the #SorryNotSorry page, so take advantage of that! Start hash tagging things pertaining to your industry and potential jobs to attract recruiters to your page. Although it’s not an entirely effective method, you never know where it could get you!
5. Create a social media resume
   You might already have an impressive resume on paper, but what about online? Creating a social media resume can not only make you look more digitally savvy, but can also be a great place to hold your work as a portfolio. Set yourself apart from the competition by using this tool, and after you’ve taken the first few steps into consideration, you’re ready to link your social sites to it, as well!
   

Written by Business major Emily Bernabei '18