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Social Media

What is Social Media?

Social media is a facet of networking. Networking is the process of establishing relationships with people, exchanging information and ideas, and working together for future mutually beneficial exchanges. Social media takes this process of networking and puts it into the virtual world of the Internet. For a better success rate, we recommend using a combination of online and in-person networking techniques. Below are a few resources to help with general networking.

For a broader understanding of the scope of social media, watch this video from the people at Socialnomics.net. They use stats and research to show that social media is not a fad and is here to stay.

There are so many different social media sites available for use on the Internet. Some of the top sites include: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare, Google+, and Pinterest. For a more comprehensive listing, check out this list of social networking websites from Wikipedia.

Benefits of Using Social Media

  • Social media is changing every industry – how people communicate and how news and information are shared
  • Create one-on-one connections with people locally and globally
  • Have mutually beneficial networking relationships
  • Increase your online visibility (Try Googling yourself. What shows up about you?)
  • Exchange ideas and information with others and share your own thoughts on those ideas

Basic Guidelines

  • Be genuine and positive
  • Be respectful of people’s time
  • Show that you are listening
  • Be proactive when networking
  • Don’t ignore the unspoken rules of the network you are using (i.e. sharing too much personal information on LinkedIn)
  • Don’t be generic
  • Don’t just add someone to your network without an explanation

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Social Media and the Job Search

While social media is not the primary way employers are finding their job applicants, it is a method that is being more frequently utilized. Social media is changing the way we communicate with each other and it is here to stay. To be relevant in a changing workforce, knowing various uses and brands of technology and social media is essential. Hone your social media skills and market those skills on your resume when looking for jobs. Don't know how to get started? Meet with a career counselor to work on your profiles and learn about how social media can be used effectively in your job search. The following is a listing of articles and resources that can serve as an introduction to how to use social media in your job search.

3rd Party Platforms – Great for organizing your social media as you can put feeds for multiple accounts all in one place

Related Articles and Links

Learn More

Visit our pages on these social media sites and learn how to use them effectively to advance your career:

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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Last modified on 10/08/12 03:33 PM
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