In today's competitive market, it's important college students (and all of those on the hunt for a job!) to perfect their online image, especially with social media. Here are some tips about what to do and what NOT to do. Enjoy!

1. Social Media & You
Using Social Media to Help Achieve Career
Goals

2. Who cares about social
media and MY online
image??
You should.
And even if you don’t,
your potential employers
probably do.

3. About 45% of
employers use social
networking sites to
pare down the list of
potential hires.
(And that number increases each year.)

4. After online screening,
53% of employers
ignored…
Candidates who posted
inappropriate photos
and/or information.

5. Candidates who posted
content about them
drinking or using drugs
After online screening,
44% of employers
ignored…

6. Candidates who
bad-mouthed previous
employers, co-workers or clients
After online screening,
35% of employers
ignored…

7. Candidates who showed poor
communication skills
After online screening,
29% of employers
ignored…

8. Candidates who made
discriminatory comments
After online screening,
26% of employers
ignored…

9. Candidates who lied about
qualifications
After online screening,
24% of employers
ignored…

10. Candidates who shared
previous employer’s
confidential information
After online screening,
20% of employers
ignored…

11. But POSITIVE social
media presences often
help you obtain an
interview or get hired…

12. After online screening,
50% of employers hire
because…
Profile provided a good feel for
candidate’s personality

13. Profile supported candidate’s
professional qualifications
After online screening,
39% of employers
hire because…

14. Candidate was creative
After online screening,
38% of employers
hire because…

15. Candidate showed solid
communication skills
After online screening,
35% of employers
hire because…

16. Candidate was
well-rounded
After online screening,
33% of employers
hire because…

17. Other people posted good
references about the candidate
After online screening,
19% of employers
hire because…

18. Candidate received
awards and accolades
After online screening,
15% of employers
hire because…

19. Everything you post and do online is available to
anyone else in the world, past present or future.
(That includes employers, parents,
friends, future spouses and even your
future children!)

20. Lucky for you, though, you can control your online image
by managing your presence. And not even just that:
You can use social networking to acquire the internship, job
or opportunity you want –
You just have to know how !

21. Improve Your Online
Image in Three Steps
 Google your name, see what comes up and make sure
the results reflect what you’d want an employer to see.
 Post positive comments.
 Eliminate potentially detrimental photos and
comments.
Tip #1: Research Yourself.

22.  Use the same manners online that you would use
during an interview or professional meeting.
 Avoid gossip and don’t speaking poorly of your current
or previous employer(s).
 Unsure about something’s appropriateness? Ask
yourself: Would I feel comfortable having this on
my desk at work or at a new job?
Tip #2: Use your manners and be polite.
Improve Your Online
Image in Three Steps

23.  Share articles relevant to your field.
 Write positive posts or blog entries related to your
field or interests to prove your passion.
 Once you’ve polished your online presence, share
links to professional profiles (i.e., LinkedIn) through
your e-mail signature, your résumé and cover letters.
Tip #3: Promote yourself.
Improve Your Online
Image in Three Steps

25. Only display on your profile what you’d put on your desk at work.
Remember this when adding or posting:
 Photos of friends and yourself
 Page apps
 Potentially offensive comments
Remember, the only way to truly ensure bad
photos, comments or videos don’t return to haunt
you is to avoid posting them at all. Period.
Your Profile is Your Desk.

26. But remember: People can
find ways around privacy
settings. To be safe, keep your
Facebook profile “clean” in
addition to having strong
privacy settings.
While strict privacy settings don’t guarantee complete privacy, setting
them correctly can make it easier for you to stay away from the public eye.
It is recommended you go through each link in the privacy area and make
necessary adjustments. For maximum privacy, set to “Friends Only” or
customize so only specific people can see certain aspects of your profile.
Privacy Settings

27. On Halloween, intern Kevin Colvin
e-mailed his boss claiming he
couldn’t come into work because
of a “family emergency.”
Colvin’s boss and coworkers saw
this picture of him posted on
Facebook during the time of his
“family emergency.”
Colvin’s boss e-mailed him, and
Cc'd the entire company, and fired
him.
Facebook Gone Wrong…

28. Miss New
Jersey’s image
was tarnished
when photos
from her deleted
Facebook page
went public.
In 2007, Miss New Jersey (Amy Polumbo) said she had been blackmailed. Pageant officials received
two packages containing photos of the nominee from her deleted Facebook page and a letter from the
sender said the photos would be made public if Polumbo didn’t forfeit her crown.
Facebook Gone Wrong…

30. Twitter Tips
 Follow, connect & communicate with
professionals in your field.
 Post useful, relevant content like links
to interesting articles related to your
field.
 Don’t spam followers.
 Use hashtags to follow and participate
in certain conversations. To find and
define hashtags, visit wthashtag.com.

31. Top Tweets to
Get You Fired…
Hate my job!! i want to tell my bosses how
dumb they are and how meaningless this
job is, then quit, and be happy!
Real tweets by real people, taken verbatim.

32. Top Tweets to
Get You Fired…
Workin… This job sucks worse
than the economy!
Real tweets by real people, taken verbatim.

33. Top Tweets to
Get You Fired…
I’m going to work! Walmart! Must find
better job! I hate it when chicks there have
a deeper voice than me and refer to me as foo!
Real tweets by real people, taken verbatim.

34. Top Tweets to
Get You Fired…
Having sex dreams of people you work
with makes for an awkward day.
Real tweets by real people, taken verbatim.

35. Top Tweets to
Get You Fired…
It’s bad when you overhear the noob
programmer say “I used to work at
McDonalds with him” and you wonder if he
is talking about the CEO…
Real tweets by real people, taken verbatim.

37. “LinkedIn is the
world’s largest
professional network
with over 80 million
members and growing
rapidly.”
From LinkedIn.com

38. Why use LinkedIn?
 Recruiters and hiring managers are there, searching for
candidates to fill open positions. They do keyword searches and
your profile could come up as a potential person to consider.
 It shows you’re knowledgeable about technological trends.
 It allows you to share more than you could on a paper or
electronic résumé.

39. LinkedIn Tips & Strategies
 Make profiles rich in career-
related keywords.
 Include an appropriate photo
of yourself.
 Make sure your headline says
something important.
 Study people you admire.
How did they get where they
are today?
Source: http://www.lindseypollak.com/archives/why-you-should-use-linkedin-if-you-arent-already

40. LinkedIn Tips & Strategies
 Tailor your profile to look
similar to the people whose
careers appeal to you.
 Research people you are
scheduled to meet.
 Ask AND give advice. (One
way is through the “Answers”
feature.)
 Set your profile as public and
choose a vanity URL to increase
your “Google-ability.”
Source: http://www.lindseypollak.com/archives/why-you-should-use-linkedin-if-you-arent-already

41. It’s a never-ending process.
One more thing…
As long as social networking and the internet
exist, you’ll have to update and maintain your
professional presence.
Many websites make it easier to monitor your
online image, but one example is GoogleAlerts
(google.com/alerts).

42. Learn More About Social Media
& Your Career…

43. All photos were found from a Google Image Search. Any resemblance is purely
coincidental.
http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/07/24/12-ways-to-use-facebook-professionally/
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/
http://oregonbusinessreport.com/2009/08/45-employers-use-facebook-twitter-to-
screen-job-candidates/
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/08/24/cb.job.social.medial.pitfalls/in
dex.html
PowerPoint Created By
Ruth Harper, ‘10, ’11, & Kate Burt, ‘12
With Help from Career Center Staff
Credits & Sources

44. Contact the SBU Career Center.
Reilly Center Room 216
716-375-2384
career@sbu.edu
www.sbu.edu/careercenter
www.facebook.com/SBUCareerCenter
We’re here to help you!
Questions?