Social networking helps students find a real job

Like many others, CU senior Mindy Rappoport is starting to search for her first real job. When she gets to that first interview the impression she makes will be important for a connection. But in today's age there's another way to make a connection and market yourself to a business: social media.

"Social Media is great tool for networking for jobs and internships...Linkedin is a great tool to see what career paths to take and meet different professionals," says Mindy.

The Business school has programs to help students understand how social media can work for professional connections.

Helen Zuccini, Director of Alumini Relations, explains what the business school does to help students:

"We have a Leeds fan page and we have a careers fan page so we actually put out a lot of job opportunities we post when employers are on campus so were adding that information so that it gets to the students."

To set yourself apart, use social media to network, build relationships with people you meet at internships, and find people on the inside of companies you're targeting.

Lisa Severy, Director of CU Career Services, recommends building a professional profile where employers can look at your work and resume.

"When someone sees a resume and they’re interested in you as a candidate but need a little bit more information before they make that judgment call, that’s when they go in and take a look at these tools…so the information that you provide should be a value added to your resume," says Severy.

Companies have taken notice of the rise in social media. Career Builder.com conducted a survey consisting of twenty-six hundred hiring managers. According to the survey, 45% said they do online screens of potential employees, 29% use Facebook, and 26% use Linkedin.

Pandora Recruiter Kevin Klinkor said of online profiles,"to an extent, for the most part, if you’re talking about social media, we'll use Linkedin to give us a good understanding of their background, perhaps who they are linked to as well with other companies."

Look for particular work you've done that fits a job description, and make it easy for a potential employer to find you online.

You never know who may be checking out your page, so things not to do with your profile include mentioning your job if you're still employed and including personal stuff.

Mindy is constantly retooling her profile, networking, and making connections as she begins the application process.

"Even I’m nervous with all my expereince, I have a friend at ASU who just told me
yesterday he has three job offers already, I mean that’s nerve racking for
students to find out that employers are filling jobs" says Mindy about the idea of finding a job.

All Mindy can do is play the waiting game as she looks to make that connection for her first real job.