By Michelle Gilbert
Guest Contributor
Tweets, status updates and ‘following’ have all become a part of our everyday vocabulary, especially if you’re a part of any social media community. As for myself, social media has become a big part of my everyday life as it’s a great way for me to stay in contact with family and friends who live too far away to visit daily. It’s a place for me to post pictures of our family and adventures but it’s also a great way for me to stay in contact with friends from college, with whom without social media, I would undoubtedly not be in frequent contact.
However, the days of having just your close friends and family members be a part of your everyday social life circle has come and gone. Employers are now using all the social media outlets as a way to recruit new employees, and advertise that their hiring and even have virtual career fairs. Virtual career fairs can make the task of interfacing with recruiters and potential employers a lot less stressful because you’re doing it over the world-wide web. And while you may be comfortable chatting with a recruiter in the comfort of your own home now, it is important that you know how to apply those social media skills when the time comes for you to meet face-to-face. Because, as we all know, it’s not if it will happen, it’s just a matter of when.
Belen Chacon, who writes about “Applying Social Media Skills To Face-to-Face Networking” mentions that “our facial expressions, physical gestures, and the emotional tone in our voice alter the meaning of our words, which is why it is very difficult to express ourselves fully and authentically in an email or text-or even in front of a Skype screen.” So, although it may be easier and more comfortable to talk via the internet, step out of your comfort zone and practice those in-person skills by using it in your everyday life outside of the internet. For more interviewing tips and tricks, see the Office of Career Services field guide to interviewing.
Comments are closed.