By Dylan Venglar
NW Campus students learned ways to use social media to improve chances for employment in Get the Job: Social Media & Interview Skills Nov. 9.
Becky Herrera, a NW student development coordinator, covered the ways social media could be used to reinforce a resume or help get a job.
“If you don’t have a social media presence, it will be difficult for employers to find info on you,” she said.
If they want to look up candidates online who don’t have LinkedIn accounts, there’s a good chance they will consider another candidate, Herrera said. While not having a social media presence can have benefits, there are certainly downsides.
“LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter are the most commonly used sites by hiring managers,” she said.
Herrera also told students to pay attention to updates on such websites for announcements recruiters make when they are looking for applicants. If a job option is posted, they should look for who posted the job and contacts they could contact so their resume gets noticed.
Herrera turned the discussion to interview skills and the differences in styles of interviews.
“There will be oddball questions, and you just have to make sure you can think quickly,” she said.
Candidates don’t want to give cookie-cutter or copy-paste responses, Herrera said. They need to be interesting and present their true best selves to the interviewer. Herrera also advised asking more about the company or questions such as what the duties would be if hired.
“It just shows you’re more thoughtful,” she said. “You want to make sure you understand what the employer is asking.”
