Use Social Media Effectively to Create a Strong Digital Presence and Boost Your Career

At Centre for Management (CFM), we regularly interact with our students on social media to help them better represent themselves and their activities at CFM before recruiters and potential employers, many of whom are increasingly turning to social media to get a better sense of who they are hiring.

Let’s face it – your Facebook page is a better reflection of who you are than your professional resume. But more importantly, by displaying your ease with technology, you can show companies you know how to build a professional brand in the online sphere.

Below is a list of popular social networking websites that you would highly benefit from using effectively. And CFM is right here to help.

Facebook

As the most popular social networking website in the world, Facebook gives you very clear Privacy options on what you want your business contacts or prospective employers to see. Even individual posts and photos can either be made private – so that only your friends or friends of friends see it – or public.

Besides this, there are several ways to make your Facebook profile more attractive to recruiters:

1. Display an interest that goes beyond class hours by posting content relevant to the field you want to make a career in. The CFM Facebook page offers loads of content that would be of interest to you, so simply click the Share button!

2. Upload photos that display your student life and learnings. The CFM Facebook Page regularly uploads photos of its students during various events. Make sure to tag yourself.

3. Choose your Friends wisely. Remember, your Friends can see information about your other Friends in your Profile.

4. Never post status updates you will regret later! If you’re interning at an organization, don’t launch a tirade against your mentor or colleagues. You never know who’s reading. What may be just a bad day could end up ruining your chances for good of working at the organization at a later date.

Twitter

You may not be a big Twitter user but you could be missing out on an opportunity of being spotted by potential employers by skipping on this 140 characters or less medium.  Twitter has a more ‘grown-up’ feel than Facebook and your tweets can immediately make you stand out from your peers. Here are a few ways:

1. Don’t just retweet what others are saying. Create meaningful content that will be appreciated by those who are Following you. By posing the right insights, you will be perceived as a thought leader.

2. It’s easier to connect with prominent personalities and companies you are interested in on Twitter than on other social media platforms. However, do not thoughtlessly follow just anybody. A recruiter will gauge your priorities and interests by browsing through your Following list. Remember, who you Follow can make an impression.

3. Besides Following, also engage with people from various backgrounds and nationalities. This will show that you are comfortable conversing with all kinds of people and about multiple topics.

4. Don’t just use your Twitter handle to talk about yourself. Share content e.g. retweet CFM’s tweets to show your affiliation to a management institute and your participation in its activities.

LinkedIn

As a management student and a future entrant into the job market, it is absolutely imperative that you create a LinkedIn profile since LinkedIn is designed for professional networking. Here are some ways to make your mark:

1. Ensure that your LinkedIn profile reflects your affiliations with past and present educational institutes. Have you followed the CFM LinkedIn Page yet?

2. Connect with people who are from the same institutes as you and are currently working in your career field of interest. They are more likely to offer you helpful advice and could even find you an internship or job.

3. Show off your coursework, your membership to various clubs and organizations, and your internship or other work experience. Be specific about the skills you’ve developed in these roles. Don’t be afraid to brag – this is the space to do it!

4. Even though you’ve never had a full-time job, you can still ask for recommendations from your teachers or university professors who know you personally and can positively comment on your work ethic and accomplishments.

SlideShare

It may not be a social media platform you are used to, but SlideShare can be a great tool to help you catch the eye of recruiters and a platform for you to upload all your class work so that more people can see what you are doing at your business school. Just follow these simple tips:

1. Pick up presentation skills by viewing some great presentations on SlideShare. Browse through the Career category on the website to find presentations specific to your field of interest. Here’s a great slideshow by a SlideShare user on how he landed a job by using SlideShare!

2. By uploading your class presentations and project work, showcase your expertise and knowledge within your fields of interest. Slideshows can be shared publicly or privately, as you please.

3. Don’t forget to get as many eyeballs as possible for your SlideShare presentations by embedding them on your blog, website or Facebook page!