Tag: Facebook

Get Noticed: The Importance of Networking

by Anubha Kapur, SEAS ‘13

AnubhaKapurPictureRecruiting is undergoing a vast phase change and one of the primary reasons for this reinvention is the advent of social media and its profound impact on society and people. Social networking is no longer just about webpages; it is an ever growing experience enriched with the interactions between people. Here are some ways to use social media to prepare for the career fairs next week, and in your general search.

LinkedIn
“Networking to get noticed” is a new mantra for climbing up the recruiting ladder. One of the most essential platforms is LinkedIn, where your profile speaks volumes about your career goals, expertise areas etc. Keeping your profile updated, following organizations you like, expanding your connections with recruiters etc. are key focus areas. If your profile shows up in the search tools used by recruiters, you’ve gained an edge over thousands of other candidates. Referrals and testimonials give a very good impression about your work ethic and commitment, thus making you a first choice for many firms. Penn Career Services organizes regular LinkedIn profile workshops that are a must for students to attend.

Facebook
With the introduction of Facebook Graph Search, you can easily connect with people of similar interests and field of work, thus expanding horizons. Regular updates by on Career Services’ Facebook page about upcoming information sessions, OCR workshops and career fairs is a good way to  initiate and streamline search.

Connecting with Penn alumni working in the industry is another very powerful tool.  A friend forwarded his resume seeking an internship to a recent Penn graduate working in a leading bank, and one week later, due to this referral, he got an interview. Who knows, your next recruiter, may be a senior you’ve known at some stage in your Penn journey. J

Twitter
I came across a feature on Twitter quite recently, where you can bookmark your tweets as favorites and embed them on your blog or Facebook page.  If someone has a nice testimonial for you, why not tell the world and make them take notice?

Career Fair Prep
Career fairs are the best way to engage with people and learn about prospective opportunities in-person, and social media can help you prepare. When there are so many people in attendance at these events, it might be difficult to have a detailed conversation with the recruiters. Use social media to help with research on organizations and develop talking points. With the Spring Career Fair and Start up Fair next week, here are a few tips to remember while approaching recruiters:

  1. Carry ample number of resumes that you can quickly reach for while speaking to the recruiters.
  2. Introduce yourself and ask about available opportunities within the company.
  3. Emphasize your potential and skills, and what it may add to the organization.
  4. Request a business card for future reference or communication.
  5. Follow @PennCareerServ on Twitter for live updates and information regarding the fair.

The wait to find out if your hard work and research paid off may frustrate you. Remember, with networking, patience and perseverance the wait can truly be worth it!

About: Anubha Kapur is a 2nd year Master’s student in Systems Engineering. Apart from technology, her interests span creative writing, social blogging and travelling. She can be followed on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Social Media Updates: Fall 2012 Preview

Fall 2012 is an exciting time for Career Services and our growing social media presence. Here is a quick preview of what to expect from us:

Social Media Challenge.  In less than two weeks, on September 17th, we will launch our first ever, Social Media Challenge. It’s going to be awesome for a few reasons.  First and foremost, there is a pretty sweet prize, a white, iPad 2.  Not only will this help you with your classes and manage your own social media presence, but it is sponsored by the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn. Second, we tapped into our creative talent here at Career Services, to create dynamic clues to highlight the wide-range of resources we have for all the undergraduate and graduate students we serve.  Third, did I mention the sweet prize? White. iPad. 2. Finally, it is super easy to enter.  Watch the clues that will be shared exclusively on our social media platforms, and fill out the online entry form, which will also be shared on our social media platforms.  The more you participate, the greater your chances to win! It’s very similar to networking on LinkedIn, where the more connections you make, the more power your network holds.

Where can you find a full list of our social media accounts? Go to the challenge’s website or look for a “penncareerserv” handle on your favorite social media platforms, like Facebook.com/PennCareerServ.

Social Media Themes. All of you have an interest in different career paths, graduate school programs and internship opportunities.  Each week, our social media platforms will have a different theme to share resources relevant for these diverse interests.  Upcoming themes include:

  • September 10th – 14th: Navigating Opportunities in Business.  What do you need to know to find and succeed in business?  Inspired by our career fairs, Career Link and ECAD.
  • September 17th – 21st: Discover Career Services Resources. A broad overview of all that we can do for you, inspired by our Social Media Challenge. The resources we share will likely help you find the answers to our clues, and your odds to win that white iPad 2.
  • September 24th – 28th: Policy and Government Careers.  Want to work for the government? Make an impact through policymaking? We’ll look at relevant resources leading up to our annual, Policy and Government Career Fair, on September 28th.
  • October 1st – 5th: Common Good Careers. We’ll continue our focus on career opportunities that make an impact, and expand our scope to include nonprofits, social services and other public interest career and internship opportunities.

As you can see, there is a lot coming up on Career Services’ social media channels.  So, stay tuned and be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, and watch our videos on Vimeo.  We have lots to share and want to interact through these platforms, because after all, that is what social media is all about!

 

Social Media This Summer

The semester officially ends in just a few more days, but we’re still going to be here at Career Services for you.  As the manager of our social media efforts, I’ll still be tweeting, posting on Facebook and LinkedIn, and adding pins to Pinterest.  This school year on our social media platforms I focused each week on different career paths or tips to help manage your search, like our Stress Busters focus this past week with finals. This summer is no different, as I’ll continue to have themes. Here’s a glimpse of some of our themes to look forward to this summer:

May 7th to May 11th – Alumni Resources & Staying in Touch.  This theme is to celebrate Alumni Weekend and all the commencement ceremonies, where our current students will officially become alumni of Penn.  Learn about resources you can utilize after you officially leave campus and how you can stay in touch with your fellow Quakers.

May 21st to May 25th – Summer Professional Development. A big part to any career, and any stage in that career, is professional development.  Summer classes start here at Penn on the 21st, so we’re going to look at how to manage an internship and summer classes. We’ll also highlight popular conferences, how to network at conferences and other ways to take advantage of the slower pace many industries experience from May through August.

July 2nd to July 6th – Federal Careers.  In celebration of the Fourth of July and our nation’s independence, we’re going to showcase the diverse paths that support our country.  We’ll include tips for applying to federal careers, the various programs to take advantage of and what skills you’ll need to succeed.

These are just a few of the themes for Summer 2012, so stay tuned to our social media platforms to see what else I’ll have in store for you!

 

 

 

Social Media Update

by Shannon Kelly

It’s been a busy semester here at Career Services.  As a result, we knew it was critical to get creative and look for some new tools to add to our social media presence.  We’re always looking on ways to keep our resources up-to-date and help you get the information you need in a way that meets your busy schedule.

New Tool #1: Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/penncareerserv/.  What is it? According to their website, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” We took this in a new direction and are treating it as a visual bookmarking tool to share career resources we come across while surfing the web.  Yes, we have our website that has a TON of useful content.  But, there is so many helpful resources out there that we can’t pass up, and we know these resources are critical to your career and internship search.  We’re creating boards (or categories) organically, so as we find a new resource – we’ll create a board.  I think the most fun boards we have are What To Wear – Men, What To Wear – Women and our Words of Wisdom.  Do you have outfits/words of wisdom/resources to share? Let us know!

New Tool #2: Storify – http://storify.com/PennCareerServ. What is it?  “Storify helps its users tell stories by curating social media”, this was taken from the startup’s About section.   We realize we have lots of social media channels, and that we share a lot of information on them.  Not to mention there are even more resources out there that aren’t created by us on LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, online news outlets, etc.  Phew, that is overwhelming!  Well, our Storify account will help aggregate that information and put it in one place.  This means, if you missed our alum post on @PennCareerDay or didn’t realize we had a week dedicated to Careers in Design resources on our social media platforms – you can access this information after-the-fact.

Stay tuned when you get back after winter break (or over it) for even more from us.  We’re excited to have our brand new Social Media Advisory Board, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, to help us roll out new tools and enhance our existing ones.

 

 

Spring Fling & You on Facebook!

by Rosette Pyne

It won’t be long before Penn students are enjoying all the activities associated with Spring Fling…free food, games, live music, singing, dancing, concert at Franklin Field, partying and so much more.   Did I say partying???

Of course, everyone has a phone and there will be hundreds (thousands?) of pictures taken over the two days.  Many of those pics will be instantly uploaded to Facebook and viewed by friends, family and dare I say prospective employers?  I’m sure your photos will capture all the excitement and fun of the events and they will capture you.  They may even capture you in questionable and unflattering situations.  Not a good idea if you’re looking for a job – this year, next year, anytime.  A 2010 survey conducted by Vault .com 10 Things You Need to Know About Social Media for Your Job Search showed that more than one-third of the employers responding check a candidate’s social media presence.  This includes LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook!  60% of the employers suggested students hide their personal pictures.   I also suggest you hide your pictures and delete any offensive wall posts, even if you didn’t write them yourself.

You want to be certain there isn’t anything on Facebook that would prompt an employer to remove you from the prospective candidate pool, or withdraw an existing offer.  When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

Now You Know! Have a great time celebrating one of Penn’s traditions 🙂