Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Spring break photos are great, but...

...is that really an appropriate first impression? That you've been on the dean's list four consecutive semesters might paint a better picture, don't you think?




You’ve graduated and started the process of applying for jobs, and a potential employer Googles you. Pictures of you on spring break pop up, straight from your Facebook profile. The next hit down is a colorful tweet that seemed like a good idea at the time. The list goes on, and by the time the employer is finished looking, he hasn’t noticed anything that shows you as someone to be taken seriously. The end result? You not only don’t get the job, you don’t get an interview, either.

It’s a horror story many graduating students have experienced, and it’s not because they aren’t good students. It’s because most often, students’ profiles on social media sites portray them personally— not professionally. So how do you avoid it? We can’t work miracles, but we’ve found something that can help.

ReadMedia and its student profile site, www.readabout.me, is a service Union now uses. It builds profiles for you that display the achievements you have earned. Each time one of your achievements is published, you get that story published to your profile, along with a badge that illustrates that achievement at a glance.

So how does that work? Say you make the dean’s list at Union College. A release is written about it and sent to your hometown newspaper. Mom and Dad are so proud. Grandma has it laminated and puts it on the fridge. This story is automatically posted to your “Read About Me” profile. You receive an email telling you the story is up and that you can now share it with friends and family by clicking a social media icon.

The next step is yours if you choose to take it. Once an email is sent telling you that you had a story posted to your profile, you need to go claim your profile. There are two ways—both very easy—to do this. The first is simply by opening the email you receive and following the directions. There should be a link that takes you to your profile and lets you verify your identity. The other way is by visiting the site www.readabout.me and doing it there. Do a search for your name, and once you find it, click the link next to it that asks, “Is this you?” You will then enter your email, and if it matches the one that is in the system, you will be sent an email that will walk you through how to customize your profile and link it to your Facebook.

The customization options let you upload your own picture and add achievements that may not be covered, such as internships.

Your professional profile, once you develop it some, will start popping up as one of the highest hits when your name is Googled. It’s a much better place to send future employers. So make sure to log on and claim your profile. It will move those embarrassing Facebook photos a little further down in the results when your name is put into a search engine.

No comments:

Post a Comment