• Social Media in your Job Search
• Personal Branding with Social Media

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, but it also can be a useful tool in your job search. Employers are using social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to both promote their organizations and connect with potential job candidates.

While social media can help you research employers (critical to your job-search success), be sure to use it more actively-as a way to connect with potential employers. By following a few basic tips, you can use social media to get in front of hiring managers.

• Get Noticed
  • There are a few key points to keep in mind when using social media as a job-search tool.
• Create a Profile that Gives a Positive Impression of You
  • Think of it as your online resume: What do you want it to say about you? Hiring managers can get a stronger sense of who you are, and if you are potentially good fit for their company, through your profile.
• Be Aware of the Keywords You Include in Your Profile
  • This is particularly true for sites focused on professional networking, such as LinkedIn. Many employers do keyword searches to find profiles that contain the skill sets they are seeking in potential hires.
• Do Not Include Photos, Comments or Information You Would Not Want a Potential Employer to See
• Do Not Mix Personal With Professional
  • The social media you use in your job search has to present you as a potential employee-not as a friend. Follow the rules for writing a resume.
• Make Sure Your Profile is Error-Free
• Choose Appropriate Contact Information
  • Your email address or Twitter handle should be professional-a simple variation on your name, perhaps-rather than suggestive or offensive.
• Connect
  • Many organizations have embraced social media as an extension of their hiring practices and provide information that you can use to research the organization and connect with hiring managers and recruiters.
• Stay Connected
  • Keep in touch with recruiters or other decision makers you may interact with in cyberspace.

Finally, in addition to maintaining your network, use social media to build your network. Do not just establish a social media presence-work it. Reach out. Interact. You will get out of social media what you put into it.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Facebook

• Use a professional-looking picture-you can use the same picture on all of your social media pages.
• Add the following to the "About" section: internship and other educational experience, a short bio and links to other professional social media
• Follow organizations you are interested in to discover intern and full-time job opportunities, announcements about the company and potential contacts in the organization.

LinkedIn

• Load your professional photo.
• Customize your headline with keywords and phrases that are related to your desired industry or profession.
• Request a connection with professionals you have worked with at internships or met through networking channels. Be sure to "personalize" your request by offering some information on why you would like to connect.

Twitter

• Use a professional profile photo. Your cover photo can indicate your interests.
• Choose a Twitter handle that will be recognizable as you.
• Tell your story in your bio: university, class year, major and keywords describing your career interests.
• Add a link to your LinkedIn profile, your personal website, blog and/or online portfolio.

Pinterest

• Load your professional-looking picture on your main page.
• Select a username that is consistent with your other social media platforms.
• Create a bio that reflects your goals and brand. Who are you? Why are you using Pinterest? What are your professional aspirations?
• Create boards using images and content to share your interests and experience in your field.
• Mark boards "secret" if they are going to contain content you would prefer to keep private.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.