Social Media for Professional Development

In a day and age where checking your Facebook and Twitter has taken the place of the morning cup of coffee, social media is taking over with a vengeance.  With new emergence of sites such as Pinterest and more established sites such as Youtube, users are finding very interesting and creative ways to use them to their advantage.  One of those innovative ideas includes the use of social media for the purpose of professional development. The job market is not as wide open as it once was, which does not allow for people to just “jump ship” when things are not going their way.  Most offices are filled with people in positions that they are not leaving, which is keeping most people stagnant in their profession.  But does being “stuck” mean you have to become complacent?

Social media can be defined in many different ways, but for this purpose, it is defined as a “social” instrument of communication.  Social media allows the opportunity to turn communication into an interactive dialogue, which involves a little give or take.  Social media also gives users the opportunity to share information, which makes it more of a user generated community.

Now that we have established what social media is, let’s look at how some of these social media outlets and how they can be used for professional development:

Facebook: Join Facebook groups and connect with fan pages of that are connected with where you you are or would like to be in your career.  Joining such will help in connecting with people within that profession to allow you to ask questions and learn more within that field.

Twitter: Connect with like-minded professionals and participate in chats related to your field.  More and more companies are using twitter as a means to keep followers updated on conferences, seminars or other events that may be going on.

Blogging: Blogging can be used as an online reflection of what one has done professionally.   With outlets such as WordPress,  blogging can be used as a means to connect with professional blogs that can give more insight on professions you are currently or want to be involved with in the future.

The above are just a few ways one can use their social networking sites to develop themselves professionally.  In addition to the above, there are several professional social networking sites out there, such as Linkedin and Yammer, which allow for professionals to connect, gain great information and  get more insight into professional development.

Is Education Up to Speed with Job Requirements?

As a little girl, I had so many aspirations from being a nurse, to a doctor and had even explored the idea of being a singer…HA (don’t believe that)! Fast forward some years to my high school graduation and I just knew that I would become a teacher.  I was so excited!  As a teenager I worked in lots of daycares and loved working with children…I knew this was the path for me.  Okay….fast forward about two more years to my first day of student teaching and observation.  Let’s just say at 8:00 am the next day, I was a Psychology major!

My student teaching day taught me that it was nothing that my professors could have taught me in the classroom that could have prepared me for what I experienced that day.  Fast forwarding a few more years, and bachelors degree, masters degree and some job experience, I have been really thinking lately….Is education really up to speed with today’s job requirements?  Are our future graduates getting what they need to be successful in their jobs/careers after graduation?

I will preface this with the fact that I am so much more about real life experiences and what I see rather than what so-called “experts” with surveys, test, etc. have to say (sue me), but for the sake of argument, lets look at some statistics.

• Of the 700,000 jobs added to the economy between January and March of this year, Andrew Sum, an economist at Northeastern University, reports that at least 80 percent of these jobs are for part-time work. And of these part-time workers, Sum says that college graduates under 30 have weathered a disproportionate share of the burden.  Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/15/jobs-graduates-work-full-time_n_849874.html
• Specifically, of the more than two million college graduates under the age of 25, 700,000 have a job that doesn’t require a degree — whether working in retail, bartending, or waiting tables. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/15/jobs-graduates-work-full-time_n_849874.html
• Early economic indicators show positive signs for the class of 2011 as its seniors prepare to enter the workforce, according to several studies by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Retrieved from
  http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/03/09/brighter-job-outlook-for-class-of-2011
• An analysis by The New York Times of Labor Department data about college graduates aged 25 to 34 found that the number of these workers employed in food service, restaurants and bars had risen 17 percent in 2009 from 2008, though the sample size was small. There were similar or bigger employment increases at gas stations and fuel dealers, food and alcohol stores, and taxi and limousine services.  Retrieved from
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/economy/19grads.html

Reading all of that really gave me a headache, but it is quite relevant.  Are we wasting time and money if we are not getting the skills we need to be successful?  I say ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  Getting a degree, in my opinion, is not to automatically set you up with a job right after graduation.  Instead, it gives us the skills we need to be prepared to work after graduation.  The reality for our graduates is that in this day and age, a bachelors degree is just as good as a certificate.  More and more companies are almost requiring a Masters or more for potential employees to even be considered for an interview.    Making sure that you meet the job requirements for your desired position is YOUR (student/graduate) responsibility and regardless of outcome, you should always be ready to use those skills you acquired.

But does your hard work ensuring you meet the job requirements always pay off?

The effort you put into making sure you meet the requirements will show in the output you receive via interviews, internships and job opportunities you are offered, when your work is done (for which it never is done).  Having said that, it does not always guarantee that you will get the job you want or get the job at all.

So why even bother?

Even when the answer is NO, you should always put your best foot forward.  You don’t know who is watching you or what may be the reason behind why you didn’t receive the job you applied for.  Could it be they have you in mind for something else?  You never know, but you ALWAYS want to be prepared.

Next week I will give you some tips on how to use your college experience to prepare you for your career experience.

Until then, go forth and conquer!!