We have all heard teachers and parents tell us, “Careful what you put on the Internet. It is permanent.” While that is totally true, it should not scare you if you are utilizing social media correctly.
I firmly believe that how we use social media can put us in the company we belong in.
For example, I tweet a lot (maybe too much) about the New York Mets and baseball. If an employer sees that on my social media after receiving my application and does not like it, then I can easily say that I would not like working for them. If they do not want to hear about baseball, I am probably not a great fit for them, nor are they for me.
Even further, if an employer likes my baseball tweets but does not like any of my other, more casual tweets, then my personality would not mesh well within that company.
I am not saying post anything and everything you desire to without concern because someone may like it somewhere in the hiring process. Sometimes we need a filter. One of my professors used to say to keep the “beers, bongs, and bikinis” off of the easily accessible parts of social media. So, if you are using your social media accounts to market yourself as a person, you will be successful in the end.
Think of your favorite company or industry to follow on social media, and model your own profile after that. Sure, they are most likely using these sites to market to their followers so said followers will buy a product. But, really, what is the difference between an individual looking for a job and a company looking to sell a product? Both require interaction and selling points through marketing techniques.
When an employer asks for your social media accounts, it should excite you. It gives you the perfect opportunity to show he or she exactly who you are and what you like in a more relaxed environment than an interview room. As a matter of fact, I put my Twitter handle right on the top of my resume because it is a good way to take a glimpse into my everyday life.
Millennials sometimes do not realize that we have a powerful tool right at our fingertips. When everyone else is trying to disprove our Twitter and Instagram addictions, we can prove them wrong. By using our social media to market ourselves the way we want people to see us, we will be able to find our niche somewhere in this fast-paced world.
