The Impact of Social Media on Careers

In the advanced world of technology that we live in, most people are using at least one form of social media.  Facebook is possibly the most popular and the one that is commonly known among social media users and non-users alike.  Many people are using social media to share their life with others, but lately social media has been commonly used for job searches and career advertisement.  The impact of a social media site on your career can either be positive or negative … you are the one in charge of determining that.  Students can look for a job using social media to gather information about organizations and job offers.  On the flip side, recruiters of organizations can look for information about future candidates who may apply for jobs with their company. 

The most common purpose of social media to use it to share one’s personal life and post pictures or status updates all of which usually express the person’s personality and emotions.  However, this can be dangerous when applying for a job.  With the current economic state of our country, positions for jobs are extremely competitive and recruiters want to gather as much information about candidates as they can.  Social media is the easiest way to do this.  Reasons that you may be turned down from job as it relates to social media include: inappropriate photos or information; photos of drinking or drug use; status updates speaking poorly about previous employers, co-workers, or clients; poor communication skills; discriminatory comments; crude language; or lying about qualifications.   The simplest way to avoid any of these misfortunes is to be very careful about what you post on your social media site.  Once something is posted on the Internet it is on there forever.  Even if you think you delete it.  It is no question that the right connections can land you a great job, so don’t be afraid to use social media.  Just be sure to use it wisely, carefully, and purposefully!