Navigating Social Media Purposefully
& Professionally
A graduate student’s guide
Harvard Business Review: 3 Facebook Strategies
1. Open Strategy- When you post whatever comes to mind
on social media
• This is risky. Try the less risky Audience Strategy and make your
profile private and deflect friend requests from co-workers and
professional contacts and direct them instead to a LinkedIn
account.
https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-to-separate-the-personal-and-professional-on-social-media
2. Content Strategy- When you accept these requests
but resign yourself to posting only carefully considered
content.
• 40% of professionals that responded to a survey felt
compelled to accept requests from professional contacts.
• Can no longer vent or express vulnerability without a level
of self-editing that may be perceived as inauthentic.
https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-to-separate-the-personal-and-professional-on-social-media
3. Custom Strategy- When social media users
manage both their audience and their content.
•
People do this on Facebook by creating a personal and
professional list and posting different content to these lists.
•
Saves the boss from seeing too many party and baby
pictures, and spares friends all of the job-related content.
https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-to-separate-the-personal-and-professional-on-social-media
College Choice- Social Media Advice for
Students
1. Reel in employers by building momentum
• Nearly 39% of employers use social networking sites when researching job candidates.
Of these employers, 43% said they found information on these sites that factored in to
not hiring the candidate, and 19% said they found information on these sites that
factored into hiring the candidate.
• Whoever you aim to be offline is who you should strive to be online.
• Having a consistent, professional image on social media can go a long way in your
post-graduation job hunt
http://college.usatoday.com/2013/11/01/3-ways-graduate-students-get-the-most-from-social-media/\
College Choice- Social Media Advice for
Students
2. Use social media to network with
classmates
• Theses students can one day be
colleagues, bosses, or connections
to jobs. Don’t miss out on
connecting with them in every
possible format.
3. Set boundaries so you don’t get
sucked in
• Don’t let social media interfere
with writing your thesis or working
on a project. Social media can
help you network and land jobs, so
use it that way.
Tips for Using Social Media Professionally
1. It’s not the same
• You do not have to give up sharing personal experiences and casual conversations,
they can often make you appear more genuine and approachable. However, it is
important to refine your language, highlight content and information that is careerfocused, and connect and converse with more people outside of your immediate
group of friends.
2. Power in connections
• Build each network to create relationships that can be nurtured through interaction
and conversation. By cultivating and organizing the network you create, you’ll be more
effectively able to act upon professional opportunities.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/10/students-job-search-social-media/#ZLkLJRfRSqqw
Tips for Using Social Media Professionally
3. It can help you find a job
• While you keep your eyes peeled for job postings, take time to engage with the
brands you’d love to work for and establish a relationship with them.
4. You can’t hide behind the curtain
• Never participate in disrespectful interactions with others (strangers or colleagues).
If you wouldn’t say something to a person face-to-face, it probably means it isn’t
appropriate for social media either.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/10/students-job-search-social-media/#ZLkLJRfRSqqw
Tips for Using Social Media Professionally
5. It’s not just about you
• Keep most of your posts (suggested 80%) to conversation, third-party content,
general comments and questions, and keep the sales pitches at a minimum. Don’t
overuse the #humblebrag hashtag.
6. Strut your stuff
• By tweeting relevant articles, or commenting on industry trends on a personal blog,
you can show your own level of interest and personal development outside of
classwork and internships.
http://mashable.com/2012/02/10/students-job-search-social-media/#ZLkLJRfRSqqw
Tips for Using Social Media Professionally
 7. You will get the once-over
•
Employers, future colleagues, industry leaders and other professionals do look at
your social media activities.
 8. What you do now will pay off later
•
If you start curating your social media presence after you graduate, you’re
already behind. By thinking about how to use social media professionally while
you’re still in school, you can position yourself as forward-thinking, forge stronger
industry connections, and strengthen your on-paper credentials, making you a
much more attractive candidate to your future employers.
LinkedIn- Should I use it?
 A LinkedIn profile, done right, can be that
much-needed online resume and help ensure
that the good work you do is publicly
recognized and that others know how to
reach you with relevant opportunities.
 Oftentimes, if you apply for a job, whoever
vets your resume will look at your LinkedIn
profile, whether it’s to see if you have mutual
connections who might reveal what it’s like to
work with you or to settle any questions raised
when looking at your cover letter and resume.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/06/26/how-to-use-linkedin-5-smart-steps-to-career-success/#4ac23e5c6292
LinkedIn- How Should I Use It?
1. Make a findable and visually appealing profile.
 Upload a headshot as professional-looking as possible, and write a succinct and
compelling headline, which runs right under your name.
 Make this “mini elevator speech” as creative and readable as possible and use
keywords for your industry.
2. Use your LinkedIn profile to showcase everything that doesn’t fit on your resume.
 Fill out the 1,000-character description areas under each job title and in your overall
summary; list your contract work and the results you got; upload or link to examples of
your work, such as YouTube videos, PDFs, Microsoft Word documents—feature your
other relevant skills.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/06/26/how-to-use-linkedin-5-smart-steps-to-career-success/#4ac23e5c6292
LinkedIn- How Should I Use It?
3. When you’ve got a profile you’re ready to show the world, strategically
connect with others.
 Connect with existing professional and personal contacts—friends, classmates,
former co-workers, current co-workers and other people in your industry whom you
know.
4. Once you’ve got a valuable network, snoop.
 Let’s say you’re interested in a job posting. You can use LinkedIn to find former employees
who could give you insight into the company’s culture or to determine which of your friends
and acquaintances know current employees who could make an off-LinkedIn connection for
you.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/06/26/how-to-use-linkedin-5-smart-steps-to-career-success/#4ac23e5c6292
LinkedIn- How Should I Use It?
5. Stay active on the site.
 Remind your contacts that you’re
doing good work by regularly
sharing links relevant to others in
your industry, keeping your profile
current, and updating your profile
when you are hired for a new
position or have another
accomplishment to tout.