The Importance of Social Media (and How to Use It)

Social media, like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc., is a great way to keep in touch with old friends and have an idea of what other people are up to. It’s something most people update it mindlessly, not putting much thought into what they’re posting or what it says about them. At least not in a broad sense. But as we’ve seen in the media, a single tweet could cause a lot of trouble for you. Greek athlete Paraskevi Papachristou was kicked off the Olympic team two days before the opening ceremonies, and Wisconsin Senator Candidate Dane Deutsch lose the election, all because of one tweet. And you may be thinking that since you’re just a student or a normal person that it won’t matter because you’re not in the public eye. But that picture you put up of yourself holding a martini could come back to haunt you in the workplace.

As of July 1st, CareerBuilders.com said that 39% of employers will look at a job candidate’s social media, which is up 2% from last year. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s a number that has been growing and will continue to grow. And of that 39%, 43% said that what they saw factored into their decision not to hire the candidate, and 19% said that it influenced them to hire the candidate. That means over half of those employers used social media to sway their decision, in a positive or negative way. Below is an infographic from Reppler based on the information of 300 employers about how they use social media to influence who they hire.

According to Ondeviceresearch.com, an overwhelming two-thirds of the population age 14-34 are not concerned that their social media could affect their job prospects. Everyone wants to impress their friends, by showing pictures of them having fun or posting provocative statuses or tweets to make people laugh. But a potential employer won’t find that funny, and you may have just cost yourself a job.

And it won’t just affect your job potential. Many people have been fired or been forced to resign because of something they thoughtlessly posted. It’s never a good idea to complain about how much you hate your boss or how bored you are at work on a social media platform. A teacher tweeted how she enjoyed smoking marijuana, and would bring it on school grounds, and was fired for it. A bus driver was upset that a student was denied lunch and tweeted about it. When he wouldn’t take it down, he was fired (you can see these examples, and more, here). Even at my own college, a group of athletes made their own Harlem Shake video, and were suspended from their teams when the school found it.

Most people are unaware of the consequences of social media, even as we see it displayed again and again in the media. How often do celebrities or politicians get into trouble for something they’ve tweeted (Amanda Bynes or Anthony Weiner, anyone?)? All the time. But we need to be aware that this can also happen to a barista or a bus driver, anyone who isn’t famous. So when you’re uploading those pictures from your weekend, don’t post anything that will make yourself or your friends look like fools, or show you violating any laws. And think twice before posting that funny but inappropriate tweet.

Infographic to help you figure out how to be use social media to obtain a job.