Students Attribute Social Media to Finding Jobs After Graduation

By Alexandra Puffer        

Comment Staff

In Junior High School not many students put much thought into the impact their social media profiles and presence online would have on their future careers.

Years later employers are researching job candidates online, investigating future employees based on their Google searches, and scrambling to find recent graduates who can build websites, manage these social media accounts, and code.

Ashley Lomas, an accounting major from the class of 2014, recently applied to four jobs online through her LinkedIn profile. Within two days she had heard from all four job opportunities and had four interviews over the phone.

She is currently in the process of selecting which full time position she will take this summer straight out of college. However, Lomas is not stopping here.

“I am applying for grad schools because in the field, a bachelor’s can only go so far,” Lomas said. “This title is a large pay grade boost in the field, and has made the bachelor’s basically obsolete.”

Students should upkeep their social media profiles, as modern employers are checking them more consistently. Used under Creative Commons license. examinedLiving Photo.
Students should upkeep their social media profiles, as modern employers are checking them more consistently. Used under Creative Commons license. examinedLiving Photo.

Although LinkedIn can be an opportunity for connecting with employers and companies, making and posting a profile is not enough. Employers will be turned off by a résumé that has not been updated.

Camille Serrecchia, class of 2012 who majored in corporate communication was immediately employed after graduating through her part-time job at TJ Maxx. She was accepted into a program to train her for a full time management position. However, before accepting a job she used social media to get ahead of the competition.

“Tweeting a recruiter is an easy but, bold way to ask for a job or internship,” said Serrecchia. “Don’t forget about Linkedin either, sometimes knowing what someone looks like can ease interview jitters.”

Despite the luck these students are having, others are still hesitant about the site. The professional setting on LinkedIn is intimidating and different than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter and no one wants to be judged solely on a digital profile.

Lilly Devine, a communication major from the class of 2015 is one of these students.

“I probably won’t use LinkedIn until I start looking for a job,” said Devine. “I don’t have enough experience or connections right now.”

Lomas said she’s entering the job market ready for anything.

“I am willing to take any opportunity from an internship to an entry level position in an accounting firm,” said Lomas.” It is a catch 22. Companies want to hire employees with experience, yet the only way to gain experience is to work.”

Alexandra Puffer is a Comment staff writer. Follow her on Twitter at @alexandrapuffer or email her at apuffer@student.bridgew.edu

+ posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Mike Johnson addressing the US House of Representatives after being elected as Speaker (Win McNammy/Getty Images/Photo courtesy of CNN)

A Recent History of the Speaker of the House

With the election of the United States’ Speaker Of The House, Representative Mike Johnson (he/him)(R-LA-4), being finalized on October 25th, it’s important to understand the recent history of the position. While they have each been contentious, the previous three speakers present a fair analysis of what to expect out of a Republican-led House.  Johnson is […]

Fulton County Case

The racketeering case against Donald Trump (he/him) in Fulton County, Georgia, is picking up, going into November. Thus far, four of Trump’s 18 indicted co-conspirators have agreed to plea deals with the state for their involvement in a swath of criminal charges related to an array of election fraud attempts in the aftermath of the […]

Democrats Call For Term Limits

Senators Cory Booker (he/him)(D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (he/him)(D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (he/him)(D-CT), and Alex Padilla (he/him)(D-CA), introduced a bill designed to impose term limits for the Supreme Court. Their bill states that every two years, the President would appoint a new justice that would hear every case for eighteen years before stepping back. The justice would be […]