Is Social Media Truly That Important to Your Career?
Below is a transcript of two interviews that I conducted with two of my friends, Manny and David, who are students at UMBC based on Illana Gershorn’s article Selling Yourself in the United States. Gershorn argues that social media plays an important role in how college students search for jobs and interact with potential employers. I found the idea of creating a professional persona, which Gershorn discusses in her piece, to be especially interesting and I based my interview questions around this topic. I found that my friend’s responses to the questions depended greatly on their stage of looking for jobs, future career paths, and general social media use. Manny is a senior at UMBC and is currently looking for employment after graduation. He reported using social media regularly and is looking for a career in student affairs or higher education. David, however, is a sophomore who is not currently looking for employment and is unsure about what future career to pursue. He also reported that he uses social media very infrequently. These factors influenced how each of them responded to the idea of a professional persona and whether or not they felt the need to create one.
Interview
Do you believe that they way you present yourself on social media might affect your ability to get a job?
David: Yes, because employers look at social media to gauge how responsible you are.
Manny: Yes. Positively, if you’re showing desirable qualities but negatively if you’re showing illegal behavior.
Do you have a personal brand?
David: No.
Manny: No, but I’m working to create one.
Do you present yourself differently on different social media platforms?
David: I don’t use social media regularly.
Manny: Yes, because of the different people who can see the things I post on different platforms.
Have you felt pressure to create a persona to fit a particular company or industry?
David: No.
Manny: No, but I’m inclined to work for a company that fits me.
Have you changed the way you present yourself on social media to seem more employable?
David: No.
Manny: Yes, I’ve made things private and stopped posting certain things.
Does this new “employable” persona still feel genuine to you?
David: N/A
Manny: On most sites yes, but certain social media promotes certain characteristics. I feel more boring in person than I present on social media.
