When Twitter first started growing in popularity, I barely took notice. It seemed silly (not to mention a little self righteous) to have a social network devoted to updating people about my day, hour by hour. Besides my family and close friends, who really cared if I was eating a strawberry pop tart or watching an old episode of Law and Order at midnight? Those people weren't on Twitter anyway. Figuring that Twitter would disappear as quickly and quietly as it had emerged, I kept plugging away on Facebook. It wasn't until I began my internship at Imagewest several weeks ago that I truly realized Twitter could be used for so much more than status updates.Tweeting for Imagewest, I saw dozens of professional marketers and designers posting interesting and thought provoking content, even linking to the same blogs I read in my spare time. After two people in the marketing industry retweeted one of my posts, I was hooked. I went home and created my own personal account that same night.
Twitter is the perfect social media and networking platform for college students. We can connect with industry professionals, search for internships and find potential post graduation career opportunities. It's also a great tool to keep informed and updated on industry happenings. I've seen tweets on everything from resume advice to helpful interview tips. Based on a study conducted at Purdue University, Twitter has the highest levels of interaction among college students and business professionals than any other social network. It's no secret employers are checking up on job applicants online. It's important to create an online presence that's both career-relevant and professional.
So yes, I am now a converted tweeter. Follow me @meganmarie122 (sorry for the personal plug). I'm looking forward to networking and building relationships with business professionals in the marketing industry. Who knows, one of those connections could help land me my dream career!
{Credits} Purdue University study article
Megan--you caught the twitter bug! I, too, was not introduced to Twitter (really) until I worked for a chamber of commerce. It's true, so many organizations and businesses post helpful hints, upcoming events, and even product incentives on Twitter. The only drawback I think there is to Twitter is that it is a constant thing--if you're not using it daily or several times a day, you're not really allowing it to serve its purpose. If the person in charge of your social media has other work on their plate as well, Twitter may, unfortunately, take a back seat. Great thoughts and first-hand experience!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post--I don't think I realized that Twitter was used for actual student to professional networking as much as it apparently is...I'm new to Twitter and still learning it, but I did find it amazing that when looking for examples for class and "following" a company how quickly they follow you back!
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