Effect of Social Media on Young ProfessionalsMichael Chott, Anna Hereth, Se Young Kang, Kayla Olszewski, Chris Simmons

Size•According to Facebook’s own statistics

page, over 800 million people actively use the website

•50% of active users log on to their profile any given day

United States•An August 2010 study found 41.6% of

Americans have a Facebook account (Wortham)

•Some surveys of companies have indicated 90% either currently use or plan to use social media in recruiting employees(Adams)

•Employers give a lot of weight to what can be found online

•The majority of employers said they had not offered a candidate a job based on social media content (Wortham)

•According to a 2008 survey, 8 percent of U.S. companies admit to dismissing employees because of Facebook behavior (Yin).

•A 2010 survey released by Microsoft Research revealed that 70% of recruiters said they rejected applicants based on information found online (Hill)

Dawnmarie Souza•Fired from her job as a union worker at

the American Medical Response (AMR)

•Allegedly posted Facebook “rant” about her boss after an argument

•25% of Facebook profiles belong to those age 25 to 34

•75% of the 25-34 year old population has a Facebook profile (Wells)

•Young professionals who are job searching are the ones most likely to have a profile

Why should employers be allowed to check Facebook?•You should be responsible enough to

monitor what you put on Facebook

•“The reality if that if you put it on the web, you have lost control of who reads it” –Kay Stout, Career Advisor for Oklahoma Professional Search

•Some people create separate profiles or profiles that are meant only for professional uses

•Many people change their name to their first and middle name, or change their last name somehow in an effort to make their profile more hidden

Why employers should not be allowed to check Facebook•Even if you monitor your Facebook

obsessively, you can’t control everyone

•If someone posts something and you delete it from your wall, it never truly goes away

•Even a profile meant to be strictly professional isn’t always perfect

•Not everything on a Facebook profile is a negative reflection of the person

•“Web Profiles are not resumes” (Fish)

Dawnmarie Souza•National Labor Relations Bureau and

Souza sued AMR for wrongful termination in December 2010

•In February 2011, a settlement agreement was reached

•Wrote on personal computer, at home, on her own time

•Employers should not be allowed to use Facebook as their only grounds for making such an important decision

•There is always bias from the person reading the profile

Blogging – What is it?•Create articles/posts on online websites•Specific area of interest•Create interesting/useful content•Get readers to read and subscribe

The positives•Show that you are interested in your field•Knowledgeable•Effective communicator•People care about what you have to say

The negatives•Certain areas can cause possible

employers to view you in a negative light•Politics•Privacy issues with companies you work

for▫Delta Airlines▫Wells Fargo

Overall•Depending on content blogging can be a

very good thing▫Improve chances for employment

•Detrimental to your career depending on content

Twitter•Microblogging Site•Over 41 million users•140 Characters•Real time•Uploaded via internet, phone, email•Nothing is deleted completely

PEW Research Center

Twitter Infamy

Twitter•Be aware of followers•Professional 24/7•Privacy settings updated

LinkedIn•Social Networking Site•Business purpose, professional

networking rather than personal relationship(eg. Facebook)

•Self-presentation with professional profile•Over 120million users•CEOs and recruiters of the major

companies are LinkedIn members

•Networking internationally and globally•Encouraging discovery of outstanding

individuals overseas•Being able to organize and present

oneself in a professional way online•Taking advantages by posting conferences

or articles that are related to their fields.

•More competitive in finding employment•Limited access to all members

How can YouTube be Beneficial?•Video resumes or curriculum vitaes•Videos of lectures •Shows employers more about you than a

piece of paper would•Differentiates yourself from competitors

because this is relatively new

Example Video Resume•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2RlnD

qI-JQ&feature=related

How can YouTube be Detrimental?•Non-professional videos can become viral

or available to employers•Bad lectures or presentations available to

employers

Starbucks Employee Fired over YouTube•http://www.kirotv.com/video/29273280/ind

ex.html

Using YouTube effectively•Do not make YouTube videos that can be

detrimental ▫Bashing your current job▫Using profane language▫Dressing inappropriately

•Be careful when making a video resume—make sure it is appropriate and there are not any mistakes

Conclusion•Once something is on the internet it

cannot be deleted.•If an employer reads it they may be able

to fire you over it.▫Affect application process for job.

•Personal responsibility to maintain professional online identity.