Experts now say Internet networking Web sites are not only the next big thing for business, but are a necessity for college graduates hoping to enter the real world and get a job.
Facebook reports it has more than 150 million active users, making it and other networking sites important tools for students to make contacts and build relationships to gain internships and jobs.
Some career experts at OU recommend students capitalize on a resource many already have — their Facebook profiles.
“[Students] should start using it to make contacts in your general area as soon as you’re focused on what you want to do,” said Billy Adams, assistant director of communication for OU Recruitment Services. “That way, you’ll have time to build contacts and credibility.”
Facebook was created exclusively for college students in 2004, but the demographics have changed to include people of all ages and those who hire college graduates for jobs.
Users 30 and over are now the Facebook’s fastest growing demographic, a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth in the over-30 population on Facebook,” she said.
In order for students to safeguard their reputations, they may have to take drastic measures and put business over pleasure on their profiles, said Heather Spencer, intern and career coordinator for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“You may need to break down your entire Facebook account and start from scratch,” she said.
It is important that students realize that even limited profiles may be accessed, even if through a third party, like an intern at a company where the student has applied, said Bette Scott, director of OU Career Services. Scott opened a Facebook account Jan. 22.
“When students are job searching, they need to be very aware that employers can see their Facebook accounts,” she said.
There are two common problems students don’t realize when using their profiles for business, Adams, Scott and Spencer said.
Many young people view Facebook only as a social tool, and put information and photographs on their profiles that might not be appealing to employers. Students also have little control over what potentially inappropriate things friends post on their profile, they said.
Adams, Scott and Spencer all recommend students utilize other networking sites like LinkedIn and Twitter.
LinkedIn is similar to Facebook, but with strictly professional purposes.
Users can create a profile that includes their job history, career goals and what kinds of professional relationships they would like to build. Users create “connections” with other users, and are encouraged to connect with people they’ve never met but with whom they have a mutual connection.
Spencer said it is similar to the theory of six degrees of separation, but for business.
Twitter’s purpose is a worldwide conversation, answering the question “What are you doing?” as its Web site states.
Users type in information about a project they are working on or a type of contact they are looking for, and other users “follow” them. This process over time builds relationships that might not be possible without the Internet, Spencer said.
Students who choose to use multiple networking Web sites should make sure to check each of their accounts daily and put the same information on all sites to “brand themselves,” Adams said.
Networking sites are a good alternative, but Spencer said she emphasizes the importance of making contacts the old-fashioned way.
“Face to face contact is the best – nothing can beat going to that after-hours networking party,” she said. “It’s about building relationships, kind of like an onion. You start with a core and then build relationships over time.”
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LauraGibbs 3 years, 3 months ago
OU gives all faculty, students, and staff webspace on the OU.edu server. If students really want to do something to promote their accomplishments and job-readiness, they should make use of their OU.edu webspace. Webpages on an edu domain like OU.edu are ranked highly by Google, which gives students, faculty and staff at OU a great opportunity to promote your achievements in a way that is much more focused on your professional identity than Facebook ever will be. You can make use of Facebook for your social life while ALSO promoting your professional identity online by using the OU.edu webspace that the University of Oklahoma makes available to you. To activate your OU webspace and start publishing, go to http://accounts.ou.edu and activate your OU Net Account web space.
billyadams 3 years, 3 months ago
While I agree with the previous commenter about utilizing your OU webspace to give a focused view of your job-readiness, I have to disagree that it is better than social networking, especially for the average student. Other than students who are majoring in technology fields, the majority of students would have a problem building a website from scratch that would impress any potential employer. What would end up happening would be a website that actually might hurt their chances or at the very least they would put a lot of work into something that doesn't impress.
Also, the point of social networks and using them to find jobs is the "social" aspect. Interactivity is the key to the web in today's world. The ability to have a dialog with other people on the web is what would be missing from most people's OU.edu webspace.