Alright, I admit it, I have Facebook stalked myself. I have started at the beginning of my tagged pictures, clicked through all 1,000+, untagged, retagged and reposted the ones I find to be particularly embarrassing or sentimental. While I have admittedly considered deleting my Facebook account on more than one occasion, the fact is that I just love social media too darn much to ever consider living with out it. In fact, I love it so much that I spend hours (sometimes too many) on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn and Instagram daily. And, while reading the entire 1,000-tweet Twitter feed of my long lost pre-school bestie is admittedly a time-suck, I have found that my presence on social media forums has increased my awareness of the world around me and may be an instrumental tool in pursuing a career path.

First, social media allows you to not only stay connected with your close friends, but also see what general acquaintances are up to. It is possible that someone you know either works for or was just hired to work for a company you would love to work for. LinkedIn and Facebook would provide an opportunity to network with people to learn about what it is like to work for a certain company or what their hiring process was like. Additionally, many jobs require some sort of knowledge of current events. This could range from politics to the economy to advances in science. While I do read sites like CNN.com and NYTimes.com practically daily, I find that Facebook and Twitter give me the first overview of what is going on in the world. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that a social media is providing entirely new career opportunities. Companies hire social media gurus as part of their PR division in order to increase their effectiveness online. Therefore, social media can help in all stages of the application and employment process.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from my amateur social media experience, it’s that what you do is just as important as what you don’t do. My very first social media experiences were surrounded with parents and teachers cautioning me about what I should not post online. My ninth grade English class learned about predators, cyberbullying and identity theft through Myspace (yes, Myspace) and Facebook. However, from my own experience, I’ve come to think of social media as a platform that allows me to market myself and convey what I stand for. Having a Facebook page filled with your own commentary on new articles says way more to an employer than the fact that you’re not pictured with a red solo cup. So, by all means, be careful about what you post online, but I hope social networking can also serve as a great opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions with your peers, colleagues and friends.

#ThanksForReading

@Laureljaclyn