Sarah Fudin currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a MAT degree and teacher certification online.  Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

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Applying to college and looking for a job are not as straightforward as they once were. Individuals, schools and companies all have a presence on social media, which means more information is available to everyone. All of this additional information is incredibly valuable to job seekers and college applicants, but also poses its own set of challenges around applicants’ privacy and what they make available to those evaluating them.

For high school students applying to college, social media can be a tremendous resource. Most colleges maintain Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and blogs that prospective students can follow to gain a different perspective on a school. These constantly updated resources provide a glimpse into daily life at a college that you would not find in normal admissions materials. In addition to each university’s own resources, sites like Zinch help high school students connect with admissions offices and scholarships, and make the process more personal.

Beyond research, social media can be a great way to make your college application shine. One expert recommends making a brief video explaining why you want to go to a particular school, uploading it to YouTube and linking to it on your application as a way to make yourself stand out. Tufts University even added video submissions to their application recently. If you want to show that you have a strong interest in a certain area, consider starting a blog to showcase not only your passion but your writing skills and including a link to it on your application.

Social media is useful in similar ways during a job search, and using these tools as ways to engage with possible employers is even more important. The first step is creating a LinkedIn profile and filling it out, but savvy social media users can put Twitter, Facebook and blogs to use, too. Both Twitter and Facebook are useful for reaching a wide audience, beginning with notifying your friends and acquaintances that you are looking for a job, which might produce leads or referrals. Tools like In The Door and BranchOut work on top of Facebook to help job seekers find open positions and connect with those opportunities through existing relationships.

Twitter is also useful in a job search as a research tool, a way to build a personal brand and to connect with people at companies you are interested in applying to. It is easy to establish your area of expertise by posting relevant links to articles and engaging with others by responding to their tweets. You can find jobs posted on Twitter by searching hash tags like #jobsearch or #accountingjobs, depending on what you are interested in. Building a following and demonstrating your passion for a field will also help, as employers usually check applicants’ social media presences during the hiring process.

While social media has many positives, it can also adversely affect applicants’ chances when applying to college or jobs. Many admissions officers and hiring managers will search your name on Google as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and elsewhere, so it is critical to recognize someone is likely to see whatever information you post publicly online. Knowing this, take care to adjust privacy settings on your social media profiles to restrict what public users can see and think about how you want others to perceive you before writing a post or uploading a photo. Taking simple steps to craft and protect your online presence will insure that social media helps you get into college and land a job, rather than keeping you out of school and out of work.

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Alban is a contributing writer at Home Loan Finder, a home loan rates comparison website. Alban is passionate about social media and their opportunities.

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Believing in yourself is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn in life, because you have to bewilling to bet on yourself, even when no one else will. However, there is a big difference in believing in yourstrength, your abilities and your determination, as compared to believing you are the person you portray yourself as on social media.

If you really were the person you appear to be on Facebook for example, you’d never sleep – with thousands offriends, hundreds of causes to like and events to attend; how could you? Luckily Facebook isn’t real life, andthere is down time, unfortunately no one wants to hear about that, so you don’t tell them.

What Happens on Facebook

There is no doubt that high school friends and long lost lovers have been able to reconnect over the internet andsocial media. However, there cases are the exception, not the rule and most of the interaction you will see onFacebook will be superficial and insincere. Before you stop reading, consider that this post isn’t to denounce theuse of Facebook, but to help you see it for what it really is, rather than being lulled into the belief that it is real,that all 948 of your Facebook friends will be at your side in an emergency, and that life really is all about thesnapshots and 140 or 420 character summaries you send out to the world. Continue Reading »

This blog post was submitted by Keith Petri, eBranding Me’s Founder/CEO. Keith is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY and Digital & Social Media Strategist at CNSLT.us. His studies in business, economics and studio art along with strong passions for marketing, technology and entrepreneurship led him to his current passion for social media and strong understanding of the new rules of networking. Through his prior entrepreneurial pursuits, recent blogging and extensive networking, Keith has seen the need for educating his peers on creating a positive online presence. eBranding Me is the culmination of his efforts.

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Many people exchange business cards and the majority of them end up in a desk drawer. Last week, during a conversation with Matt Bernstein, a fellow Skidmore graduate and the President of Pair of Shoes Digital Marketing, we briefly touched on the informal exchange of business cards at networking events. As the discussion continued we concluded, “connecting on LinkedIn is like trading business cards”. It doesn’t mean a personal relationship was made unless each party consciously decides to make an effort to continue the conversation.

SEE MORE VIDEOS ON KEP.TV Continue Reading »

When James Alexander searched Google for his name in 2009 he found everything but information about him. This frustration was a result from his very common name, comprised of two first names. Only after utilizing Google’s advance search function and targeting his past work history along with other discerning personal characteristics was James able to configure and control the results that portrayed him in the best possible light.

At the time, James simply copied the extensive Google search query URL and created a shortened Bit.ly link. By sharing this custom link to tailored Google results on his personal LinkedIn page he was in complete control of what potential business partners, clients and recruiters saw when they pressed: “Google Me”. James knew that others would find this process to be useful and decided to share his idea; Vizibility was launched soon after.

There are millions of people who suffer because they have two first names, a very unique name or an impossible to spell name. James Alexander was not the only one who suffered from this problem: a lack of relevant search results on Google. There is a need for a button that, in essence, would be a Google Me button that returns the results an individual wants you to see first. Continue Reading »

eBranding Me and The Opportunities Project host a Workshop Series on using “The Art of Pull” to help soon-to-be graduates and young professionals successfully network with recruiters and employers to secure gainful employment.

The Opportunities Project and eBranding Me are joining forces to teach New York City job seekers how to use all the new tools available to them to achieve career success. Each seminar focuses on one particular tool that attendees can use to transform themselves into candidates sought after by multiple employers for their added value. The seminar series is called The Art of Pull because it focuses on a job search that attracts recruiters and employers to empowered candidates instead of the traditional method of simply applying to vacancy postings. Continue Reading »