Social Media has grown quite extensively within the past ten years. As a member of the millennium generation, it is hard to remember a time when social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter did not exist. No matter what career you are pursuing social media can give you the intelligence you can’t learn from a class, we call that street smarts.
In my class Comm 497C: PR Social Media we discussed a recent news story of a student who landed an internship via social media. After interacting significantly with the company on twitter, he created a YouTube video and tweeted it at the company which ultimately led to him getting the job. Means of creativity, such as this, are being utilized more often by job seekers and students.
Whether you are interested in being a lawyer, a journalist, or teacher it is important to use social media for research, creating a personal brand, and social networking. Follow these three tips to improve your chances at landing your dream internship.
1. Create and tweak your personal brand. This goes for everyone! How do you appear on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Etc? Each social media platform should be used in different ways but overall, you should be delivering a consistent message across the board. Personal branding has been a term for a long time and will continue to be as social media becomes a greater part of everyone’s lives.
2. Use social media to FIND job opportunities. Want a job as a PR Intern? Search the hashtag #printern and look at what comes up:
Companies are putting opportunities out there for you. Now you just have to go and take advantage of them. Finding a job is no longer a matter of looking through the paper for hours or clicking through monster.com.
3. Interact with companies you’re interested in. This should be obvious. If you are interested in working at a company, one of the easiest ways to discover their corporate culture and see if the company is right for you, is to follow the company and the company’s employees on social media. If the company you are interested has posted something you like or agree with, retweet or share it. Don’t be afraid to respond to a post from that company. You may think it will not do anything but companies really value that.
If you are not comfortable using social media, especially in a professional setting, start learning how it will work best for you. Social media allows you to take your job search to the next level.
Bostonian State of Mind 
Hi Erin,
I really like how you searched “PR Intern” on Twitter. I never thought of doing that and it is so cool that all of those opportunities came up just by doing a quick search. Have you ever done that to land an opportunity? After reading your post, I am definitely going to utilize Twitter in my upcoming job search.
Lauren
I really appreciate you sharing this information with us! It’s crazy to think that finding a job can be as simple as following a specific account on any social media platform, but it’s so true! In the past I have used social media as a networking tool to get in contact with professionals in the different fields I’m interested in. I never thought of using the platforms to actually find job postings…aside from LinkedIn. This is a great tool and I can’t wait to look into it more, thanks for sharing!
Erin-
I really liked your tips, especially the second tip. Seeing what comes up when you type in #printern is incredible! I will absolutely start searching that term, as well as other terms related to obtaining internships and jobs. I think this is a really important post and could benefit many people looking for internships. I know a lot of my peers don’t like social media because they see “no point.” This post could show them that social media is absolutely not just for people to post their vacation pictures. This is educational and was interesting to read!
Erin, similar to Lauren, I was really surprised to learn you can find jobs on Twitter. I’ve joined groups on LinkedIn that have provided a few good opportunities, but it’s difficult to find summer internships. Searching #PRIntern is truly a great way to seek available positions. I also appreciate your encouragement to reply-tweet to companies you’re interested in. As you mentioned, I often feel too shy to retweet or respond to major companies over Twitter, but I may start just to get my name out there. Thanks for the tips!
Absolutely love the post. I have always wondered how this worked and have been very interested in it. I have never personally used the hashtag #PRIntern but I definitely plan to. I actually gear my twitter towards sharing links and retweeting posts of companies or teams I want to work for. I love posting about sports marketing because it not only interests me but also I want future employers to see that I have such a passion for it. I think it would be such an amazing accomplishment to say that you got an internship through social media.
This is a great post with information that every college student should know when job searching. Social media a now a HUGE factor when looking for that perfect job. Not only are hiring managers looking at your resume or portfolio, but they are looking at your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn etc. Manage a personal brand that will represent your career interest and network that with anyone who can advance you on Twitter! A person will be amazed with how far social media networking can get them.
This blog post was super helpful! I love the way you organized the post and kept it short, sweet, and to the point. I always find myself searching on Twitter for internships, especially because of the field we’re trying to enter. I’m glad you pointed out that it’s important to interact with the companies you’re most interested in. I think that’s so important. Companies like to see you following and interacting with them on social media and Twitter is the perfect outlet to do so!