Living in the world of social media and its powerful connections to society includes the fascinating ways it can connect us to job opportunities while also destroying employment journeys. Since the inception of online social media platforms over a decade ago, young professionals have quickly become obsessed with using apps like Linkedln Mobile, Instagram, Twitter, and more to search for job opportunities. While many success stories have proven to shine light to the incredible opportunities of becoming discovered on an iPhone, people tend to forget how much employers seek out personal information for job applicants on social media. This ultimately gives the decision to young adults and children on whether or not certain posts online should be acceptable to post for the rest of the world.
One of the most infamous negative components of social media is its access for people to learn about someone on such a personal level. In job applications and searching for possible candidates, companies use social media tools and platforms to discover their potential new employees beyond just the resume. This is not only dangerous and scary for the applicant, but an amazing way to peek into a candidate's social life and what he or she might be like beyond just an interview. Many of the times, social media hurts employment prospects because it unveils someone’s wild side and their possible bad decisions made at different times throughout their life. While some people might just post a family picture or a snapshot of a hike out on the beach, others feel comfortable posting about getting intoxicated or going out to a club in inappropriate clothing. These situations are what make the business world more prone to using technology and social platforms to make these big recruitment judgements.
While there are those in society that find themselves in a trap with social media, others have found such social platforms to connect with dream jobs and changes in their professional careers. Now more than ever, people are finding all types of work opportunities that they would never find from word-of-mouth. Talent sourcing and seeking employment opportunities have thrived on Instagram and YouTube because many self-starters and young professionals use these sites to get ahead in their field of study. The technology built into these apps as well have grown in the past few years and people are discovering the opportunities to connect with businesses from around the world. In addition, entrepreneurs are souring their own talent to grow their business and improve communities through extra work.
I personally think social media can be used as a powerful tool in our future to enhance employment opportunities. Although I believe people will continue to lose their chances from the way they expose themselves online, it gives others the ability to get ahead and enhance their portfolio of work with social connections. Professional networking has grown in the past decade as well from online communications and will continue to nurture the ability for anyone around the world to find a dream job or career path. So far in my time in college I have seen such a positive influence on social media for helping me find internships and what a future might look like in an interested field of marketing or communications.
Cristian Isbrandtsen, a student in Jon Pfeiffer’s media law class at Pepperdine University, wrote the above essay in response to the following question: Does social media help job-seekers find work or does it harm employment prospects? The class covers copyright and social media. Cristian is an Integrated Marketing Communications major.
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