77% of organizations today use social media to recruit. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), reported this growing trend in a recent survey. So, who are some organizations that partake in “social recruiting”? More publicly-owned organizations are leveraging these tools, like ExxonMobil, Apple, J.P. Morgan Chase. You may have heard of them, and if you’d like to work for them one day, you should consider how their social media presence can be used to your advantage.
At Career Services, we’re here to help take your social media presence beyond liking pictures of friends on Facebook, tweeting sarcastic comments on Twitter and being intimidated, perhaps, by LinkedIn. If you want to take your social media use to a professional level, see what we have in store for you this year to make that happen:
1) LinkedIn Profile Reviews. A LinkedIn profile is the new resume. Just like resume/CV critiques, we’re offering LinkedIn profile critiques on a one-on-one basis. Connect with your school’s team of counselors to set up an appointment.
2) Social Media Workshops. We’re offering special programming to students this year on how to use social media, as well programs through Weigle Information Commons on setting up LinkedIn. Stay tuned for these programs through our various event calendars for grads/postdocs and undergrads.
3) Follow Us on Twitter. Our main account is @PennCareerServ, but one gem in particular is our @PennCareerJobs account. Employers who post on PennLink schedule tweets to promote their new listings – don’t miss out!
4) #Hashtags. If you’re already active on social media, and given Facebook has rolled out use of hashtags, it’s time to put them to professional use. Look for our hashtags: #penncsevent, #pennOCR. Beyond that, consider #career and #jobtips, as well as following an organization you’re interested in to see what tags they are using. Wondering what is a hashtag? Read this article from Twitter.
There are a LOT of opportunities out there to connect with organizations, learn about their internships and full-time jobs, as well as see if there is a Penn connection – all via social media. Take advantage of the resources we have available to help you take your social media presence to the next level.
To see more resources, check out our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo and Online Networking pages.
by Shannon C. Kelly