“To Facebook, or not to Facebook?
That is Career Services’ Question”
Laurent Troland Career Services Bridgewater State College
Outline
Background and Purposes Facts about Usage Student Impressions Why this is an Important Issue Employers and Social Networking websites Career Centers and Social Networking websites Recommendations for Career Centers
Definition of Social Networking Websites
A Web site that provides a virtual community for people interested in a particular subject or just to "hang out" together Sites may also serve as a vehicle for meeting in person Globally, hundreds of millions of people have joined one or more social networking sites
(www.pcmag.com)
The Purposes
Connect/Reconnect with friends and classmates See who is on campus Announce events Send messages Join common interest groups Share photos, music and videos Network
Student Usage
What Students Do Not Realize
They are Public Domains Unread privacy policies Many employers and administrators already online It is not illegal for colleges or employers to look up information online It is not illegal for employers to use information found when making hiring decisions
Millennials…Why They Use This The Way They Do
Millenials as a group Online interactions = personal interactions False sense of security Not aware of implications of their online usage Invasion of their privacy Online “space” is just as private as their home Do not see how their personal life affects their work life Online self is not a true representation of their real self
Why is this an issue?
Students unaware or do not monitor Social Networking = “The Real You”? College recruiters are often young professionals right out of college
Access to sites increases
and so does the temptation to use them
Employers and CSO’s these websites more and more Unprofessional, false and inappropriate profiles/information Examples of the problem
National Trends of Employers
According to NACE’s (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Job Outlook 2008 Guide, employers indicate…
17% of employers
surveyed plan to use social networking sites
66% advertisement 53% networking 38% screening 2007 Job Outlook Guide
25% report using
search engines like Google.com to see what comes up with a candidate’s name 2009 Guide does not have any such statistics
National Trends of Employers
University of Dayton nationwide poll found
40% of employers
would consider using Facebook profile information in a job interview
AfterCollege.net’s study found that
40% of employers
conduct web searches 37% of these stated that if they found something questionable, they would consider NOT hiring that individual
Career Centers… What Can You Do?
Recommendations for Career Services Offices
We cannot go on the offensive or our message will be lost Discuss responsible online usage of these websites Create a “Helpful Hints” page with tips and advice Create workshops, handouts and/or materials Online Image Checklists Post “How To” sections for enabling privacy features Polish personal pages; use www.linkedin.com
Helping Your Students Create a Personal Internet Presence
Look-up name on search engine sites like Google
Technorati.com
and IceRocket.com search social network sites
Use a professional email address Keep separate email addresses Review all personal websites Enable privacy features on websites Be conscious of postings on other sites and blogs Disconnect from friends who have “questionable” profiles
Career Services… If You Go Online
Research and consider creating a Facebook page
Most create a “Group” page Post location,
office hours, contact information, etc. Post calendar of events, tips of the week, discussion boards Have student workers invite their “friends” and watch the group expand Who will monitor this site? Create pages for your special events and invite students to RSVP
But Keep in Mind
Actual “foot traffic” of such pages is low While using these websites sounds great, are we exposing ourselves to liability?
Are we liable
websites? Currently not aware of legal cases, but could we be blamed?
for ignoring the negative things we see on these
Some students regard these websites as their personal domain
Using this medium can be a double-edged
sword
So What Does This All Mean?
Learn about and explore these sites Be aware and keep up with the trend Teach your employees and students about the pitfalls and responsibilities of online conduct
(Especially
your Millenials!)
Be cautious about creating your own pages
Use it for inclusion
Stay current on news and legal issues surrounding online communities
Any Questions?
Thank you for attending!
Laurent Troland Career Services Bridgewater State College Bridgewater, MA 02325 Ltroland@bridgew.edu (508) 531-1328
References and Sources
www.naceweb.org www.facebook.com www.myspace.com www.careerjournal.com www.aftercollege.net http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook’ s_use_in_investigations www.careerbuilder.com www.newyorktimes.com www.timesargus.com www.llrx.com www.columbiamissourian.com www.boston.com www.collegerecruiter.com
www.chronicle.com www.daily.stanford.edu www.washjeff.edu/careerservices www.udayton.edu/news www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news www.jobsearch.about.com www.collegegrad.com\ www.nymag.com www.wallstreetjournal.com “Let’s Get Visible” by Jill Wesley, Indiana Business College Drexel University Career Development Center Cornell University IT Policy Handbook