#hireme

Twitter and Facebook could act as more than just social media sites — they could also help find your next place of employment. Katherine Nobles, a career counselor for UNC Career Services, hoped to inform more students of this fun fact at a workshop she hosted in Hanes Hall on Tuesday. “I want students to walk away understanding how social media impacts their job search and how their online presence can both negatively and positively affect impact their future career,” Nobles said. Nobles hosted the event, called “Personal Branding: Social Media and Your Job Search”, in hopes of teaching students how to “personally brand” themselves for the career market. Senior business major Jordan Meer also presented at the workshop, giving helpful tips on how to utilize social media to fit specific needs. “I would really recommend sticking with LinkedIn or whatever people in your area do,” Meer said. “Focus on what your target area is.” While the workshop was relatively small, many students gained a lot from attending. “It touched on things I did not know about social media,” said Frank Glover, one of the participants in the workshop. The workshop revealed some startling facts about social media and how many companies actually use it in the hiring process. “The same way you Google them, they Google you,” Nobles said. Nobles encouraged students to “Google themselves frequently” and to be careful what they post on social media sites. The workshop also covered how to utilize blogs and social media sites such as LinkedIn, and how to search for jobs online. “It met my goals,” graduate student Sara Zizzo said. ”I learned the importance of utilizing social media and personal branding to stay competitive in the current job market.”