Social Media Synthesis Essay: College Admissions Officer

Many individuals have resorted to social media to connect with friends or strangers alike. Social media has also encouraged people to display private conduct to the public. Many colleges and businesses have resorted to viewing an applicant’s social media for work force readiness. I believe this is a good strategy, because it can eliminate competition in the work place.

Olivia Perkins writes in “More Than Half of Employers Now Use Social Media to Screen Job Candidates, Poll Says; Even Send Friend Requests”, the do’s and don’ts for creating the perfect profile. According to Perkins, interviewers prefer applicants with social media accounts over applicants without them (line 8), just to give an extra bit of knowledge to who the applicant truly is. This article relates to articles “Student Awareness of the Use of Social Media Screening by Prospective Employers” by Terri Root and Sandra McKay and “The Law and Social Media in Hiring” by Johnathon Segal because all three use a mass number of stats and percentages in their writing. “60 percent are looking for information that supports their qualifications for the

The article “Will Your Social Media Negatively Affect Your Engineering Degree Application?” Written by Caitlin Leonard starts off by stating that social media is a tool, a way to communicate and a source of entertainment with current and tech-savvy engineering students are often some of the most prevalent users. Then the writing states that social media is used keep up with friends and family, learn about the latest discoveries or breakthroughs in technology or view and share opinions on changes in the political sphere. The writing then declares that social media is essential for students applying for undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Then it states how Kaplan Test Prep’s took a survey on over 350 colleges and found out that the percentage of admissions officers who check applicants’ social media profiles has dipped to 35 percent versus 40 percent last year.

Social networking has become so popular in this day and age, not just for the younger generations but throughout our every day life. Many do not know that more and more employers are using many of these social media sites to find and seek out your personal page that has nothing to do with your workspace to help assist their decision for hiring you. As CEO Tom Demello said in 2009 “I think that some of these sites out there are going to be the most expensive free websites to their career that they’ve ever seen.”

Research suggests that up to 91% of employers now use social sites such as MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and LinkedIn to screen job applicants.

Employers on our social media, this is a fact that everyone in this age accepts but do not necessarily like or want. Some people say it is okay to check social media when looking for who to hire, but this infringes on privacy rights. If an employer finds something discriminating on a profile and decides not to hire the person this is not okay, even though some may say it is because you want to know what you are getting into. An employer could find information that was not even true on social media, this would not work in favor of employment. It is not okay to check social media when employers are hiring because it invades privacy, discriminates and the information provided on the site could be false.

The Kaplan test, a telephone questionnaire, surveyed many admission officers who reported checking social media posts… [ which] negatively impacted a prospective student’s admission chances (Lytle 1). Not only has

With employers having access to a wide range of networking sites, it is more efficient for them to look up additional information about the candidate while saving cost and time. One research showed that a candidate was able to secure a job because their social media profile showed them as creative, well-rounded, and a good fit for the company (Budden, Elkersh, Vicknair, & Yancey, 2010). Companies use this data in order to inspect whether a candidate maybe outgoing. For example, someone who does not have any social networking profile is thought to be likely hiding something or is introverted or is not well-versed with technology (which is a requirement for most professional jobs). Companies can weed out candidates using this information and possibly find applicants that are likely to fit in with their corporate culture.

Viewing somebodies social media can give employers an idea of who they are hiring before they decide to interview

Social media has changed the way businesses work and recruit for new employees. Once hiring managers get a hold of resumes, they look for ways to exclude

Employers use social media to determine your qualifications, your professionalism in terms of social conduct, and your fit into their company’s culture. You can show your prospective employer who you outside of your résumé, cover letter, and interview, for you can display your personality, your accomplishments, your strengths, and your weaknesses. From your use of social media, employers can determine:

First of all, your social media can affect the college you want to go to. According to Slade, “Of 381 college admissions officers who answered a Kaplan telephone questionnaire this year, 31 percent said that they had visited an applicant’s Facebook or other social media page to learn more about them”.

Even though the practice of using social media to vet candidates is relatively new, there are standards already established for this process. Employers who are hesitant to use social media typically cite fear of allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. To protect themselves against legal ramifications of unfair hiring processes, employers should always consult with an employment attorney to develop policies for gathering and use of internet-based information (“The Facebook Background Check.”) An employment attorney can help

Colleges and employers are now using Facebook and other social networking sites to gather information about prospective students and hires. When you apply for Graduate Schools, the admissions department will most likely be viewing your Facebook page at some point to try and learn a more about you. Since we know that nowadays having a “private” page is in fact very far from having actual “privacy,” many departments will be able to view profiles. It was found that about 21% of all college admissions departments in the United States are now using social networking sites as an assessment tool for prospective students compared to 0% just a few years ago (Barnes).

Social media has many unique uses, and is an invaluable tool. While it can be harmful, and even dangerous, when you understand how to use it and what it should be used for it can greatly enhance your life. One of the many ways social media is beneficial is that it can help students who have just graduated from college find a job. There are hundreds of networking sites out there that a student can use to get there resume in front of the right people, and even doing something as simple as creating a blog about your job search and skill set can mean the difference between getting hired a month after graduation and a year after graduation.