Job Searching and Networking in the Digital Age
How to Showcase Your Professional Identity and Navigate the Social Web

The internet can be a powerful tool for job seekers. From researching jobs and organizations of interest to learning top tips for your career, finding information to fuel your search has never been easier. With the rise of social media and social networking on the web, making key connections and discovering how close you are to your dream job is an ever-present possibility. It is important to remember that your presence on the web creates an impression of you, and managing that impression is critical to a successful job search online. The results of a recent survey, conducted by CareerBuilder.com, of over 2,600 hiring managers are telling. They found:

• 45% reported searching for information on candidates using social networking sites
• 11% reported that candidate screening by social media will be implemented in the very near future
• 35% reported that they found content on social networking sites which caused them not to hire a candidate

Given this, the Career Center has advice to share with you on how you can maintain professionalism and connect successfully with others in the social web.

Where and How to Get Started

LinkedIn
Make sure to join Villanova groups on LinkedIn once you have your account! In the Search box on the upper-right of the page, make sure you search by “Groups” and type in “Villanova” for all the ways you can connect to fellow students & alumni.

For Seniors, Grad School Students and Alumni, join The Official Villanova Alumni Association Network Group

A great place to start your job search using social media is through LinkedIn. LinkedIn, with over 75 million users, is a social networking site focused on making professional connections and expanding your network of contacts. Below are several great links to help you learn about how to create a LinkedIn account, grow your network, and find a job using this site:

- What is LinkedIn?
- LinkedIn’s Guide for New Users
- LinkedIn’s Guide for Job Seekers
- LinkedIn’s Guide for Students
- Searching LinkedIn

Twitter
Follow the Career Center for on campus events, job search news, and lists of accounts to follow!  
Twitter has become another viable resource for networking and finding job openings on the social web. Known for short, 140 character or less message (also called “micro-blogging”), Twitter’s information is fast-paced and frequented by top employers around the globe. It has been estimated that over 50 million tweets (updates to a Twitter user’s status) are sent out per day. Below are links to help guide you on creating a Twitter account, building a community of followers, and tweeting your way to a job:

- What is Twitter?
- How to Build a Community on Twitter
- How to Find a Job on Twitter
- Leveraging Twitter in a Job Search
- 50 Ways to Use Twitter as a Job Search Tool

 

Facebook
Become a fan of the Career Center for campus events, job search news, pics, videos, & more!

With over 500 million active users, Facebook is the largest social networking website in existence. Facebook can connect you with new friends and reconnect you with old ones, and provides the possibility to share all kinds of information. Though most of the press about Facebook in the job search has highlighted the ways this site can hurt your job search, there are ways to maximize your Facebook account and make it career-ready.  Check out some of the links we’ve compiled on this topic below:

- 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know
-  How to Use Facebook for Professional Networking
-  Facebook Job Hunting in 3 Steps
- Identified.com - Transform your Facebook friends into a powerful professional network of contacts. For further information check out their FAQs for Students

Advice to Consider for Social Media Users

Keep in mind that whatever you post (pictures, videos, status updates, tweets, links, etc.) will be public. Friends, friends of friends, and people in your networks may have access to this. If you are connected to someone, they will be able to share your information with others.

Update your information frequently. Got a new internship? Post it. Taking an interesting class? Tell people about it.

Be cautious when connecting with people without a reason or with those whom you don’t know. By connecting with someone online, you are, in some way, endorsing them. If you can’t say good things about a connection or vice versa, it might be wise to steer clear of a virtual connection.

Maintain an awareness of what others are saying and posting about you. For example, on Facebook, you may keep a clean Profile, but if a friend tags an inappropriate picture of you, it will be linked to your account.

Tell people in your networks about appropriate good news. Share an accomplishment from class or your internship. Compliment someone for doing good work. Avoid posting negative comments, especially about employers, coworkers, and supervisors. These things have a strange way of haunting you. Even if your current employer does not see it, others who do may make an impression of you by these comments.

Google your name. Be aware of what the top results are. If you can Google a company, they can Google you. The top results on the page will make the first impression.

Avoid writing publicly about your job search unless it can be public. If your current employer sees this, it may negatively impact your experience at work.


Know everything about Privacy Policies. Manage your privacy settings regularly. Often times, social media sites change their privacy settings. Keep up to date with this information so you can control who is seeing your information and how much they can see.

Pick a neutral or professional photo for all of your social media presences. This is the first image employers and others will see if and when they screen you. Put your best face forward.

Use your discretion and best judgment when giving out your information. Don’t upload personal information to websites which seem inappropriate. If it looks questionable, then there may be a reason to question it.
 
See how you fare on the “Do You Pass the Social Media Recruitment Test?”