Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Social Media Education For Students

I think we all know that social media isn’t going to go away, it’s just going to grow and grow.

Social media education for students is required right now!

What I don’t get is, why isn’t it being discussed in a positive way in schools?

Why is it that many teachers see Facebook as the only social media and have the view that social media is bad and a time waster?

Students use it to stay connected with their friends and it can be a distraction in class when they should be concentrating on what’s being taught, but social media can also be a great way for them to connect with key people in Industries.

In my opinion students should be encouraged to use social media in a positive way, in a way that is going to help their future, in a way that is going to help them market themselves .

With an average of 23 applicants going for every 1 job, how can you get your students to get their heads above the competition?

There are many many ways that social media can be used to attract employers, jobs, key people etc..

Firstly they should be taught about “digital dirt” & what they say online can stay online..forever!

So if you only choose to give your students one piece of advice, let it be this, if you want to get an interview then think “damage control”

8 out of 10 employers use social media to initially screen applicants. If they find negative comments, abusive language, drunken photos, scary friends then the student wont get an interview.

Students will say that it “isn’t fair” that they’re being checked out like this, but they need to accept that they are and it will continue to be like that throughout their working life.

Socially networking online is second nature to students so going one stage further & networking online to get a job should come easy. Students need to be shown how, where and who to network with and be shown how to have a strategy in place.

Show them how connecting with the right people can put them in the right place for when it’s the right time.

There are many platforms where students can showcase their work., like youtube, vimeo, pinterest, screencast, the list goes on.

Show students how to tap into this power cleverly and how they use it to market themselves.

What they do now will pay off later… If they start curating their media presence after they leave college they’re behind, the earlier they start the better.

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Julie Bishop Jobhop.co.uk

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