Using LinkedIn and Facebook to find a job

Next Monday my colleagues are running a session about using Facebook and LinkedIn as a way of enhancing your job hunting. I ran a similar session last year for international students called “Remote Networking” which builds on the International Student Careers Mentoring Programme.

Facebook

For those who haven’t found us on Facebook yet, click here to see our pages.  The Careers Group, University of London also have pages here but they are not specific to Royal Holloway.

Join us on Facebook

This blog has proved very succesful.  We have obtained just under 10,000 hits since it was launched and feedback from readers is very positive.

I have decided to take the blog one step further by integrating some of it into our new Facebook page. You can become a fan of Royal Holloway International Students Careers by clicking here.

The Facebook page will keep you up to date with events and activities as well as bringing the latest news from the blog.  There is also the space on the page for you to post job adverts that you see or to ask questions.

I hope the new Facebook page will add to our existing communication activities in a positive way.

Andrew

Careers in international development

International Development is a growing sector that employs a wide range of people around the globe. This one day introductory course will set out clearly how the sector is structured, the different entry roles available and the combination of qualifications, skills and experience needed to get into international development.

Thailand: From protest to posting

This is a guest post from a current student:

The Thai Student Abroad Movement (TSAM) group on Facebook was launched in October 2008 in response to the police’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters surrounding parliament. A group of Thai students studying abroad saw the need for the overseas Thai student community to be aware of the political polarisation back home, of both sides of the argument, and to discuss their own points of view in the hope that a resolution or plan of action may be drawn up to end the violence and to promote national reconciliation.

The crisis was actually solved in the short term before this resolution was finalized, but seeing that more than 500 members were recruited, TSAM continued as an academic network where students could discuss current events in Thailand and how their area of studies sheds light on these events or suggests possible solutions to the problems being faced. The TSAM Facebook group has since expanded to include a wordpress blog, which includes updated analyses on Thailand’s political and economic situation, as well as a section on conferences/seminars, which include summaries of past conferences/seminars and information about upcoming ones.

A Spring in your step

Welcome back!

I hope you all had a good break over Christmas.

The Spring term is off to a flying start with a great programme of events from the careers service. If you go to the booking page of this blog you can now sign up for some of the events specific to international students. This term we are continuing to run sessions on marketing yourself through CVs but also sessions on UK Interview style and technique. There is a session on building up your personal networking from a distance as well as finding work in India and China for students returning home. This term we are also going to pilot online careers advice – you may have noticed the Meebo box on the blog although I’m not sure that’s the application we will use for this. Details to follow!

International students studying Psychology or in the Arts will be able to attend sessions about career choice and job hunting techniques relating to those sectors. I will blog more about those in the next few weeks.

So what else is happening?

In addition to the international student events, the careers service has a large programme of activities ranging from mock assessment centres to careers in medicine and law. The full programme can be found here.  Employers attending the campus include Chatteris who provide opportunities in Hong Kong, Ernst & Young, Proctor & Gamble, KPMG, Weber Shandwick, Research in Motion and Capital IQ.

This term is short but the careers service has packed a lot in with many evenings having options of different careers related events taking place.

Remember that places at many of these events are limited and you need to book in advance to attend them. International student specific events can be booked here but all others must be booked in person at the careers centre.

Don’t let Facebook ruin your career!

Hands up who is on Facebook? Or Myspace? When I asked a group of finalists a couple of weeks ago, the response was that nearly all were on at least on of those websites.

I enjoy Facebook. I like being able to see what my friends are up to, sharing photographs, arranging events that never quite happen… It is an incredible tool for connecting people and helping people to find lost friends. Old school photographs of mine have turned up on Facebook as old friends remember times shared.

Employers like Facebook too. Many are using it effectively as an advertising or marketing tool. But Facebook can also form another part of the recruitment cycle.

The New York Times ran an articlea couple of years ago about how candidate profiles are Facebook had lost them potential jobs. It isn’t just friends who use Facebook to find you. Employers can access your Facebook profile and see what sort of person you are. Are you discrete? How do you behave in public? And many Facebook profiles show the lighter side of student life – the side that employers can get concerned about.

From an employers perspective, accessing Facebook profiles gives a much clearer picture of candidates. Of course employers are not expecting candidates to have behaved entirely properly although University but repeated behaviour and comments from Facebook friends can reveal a lot.

Blogs likewise can be an issue. Blogging is an exciting way to develop points of view and to share opinions. Some bloggers try to be as controversial as possible. If you are blogging in your own name, you must accept the consequences for that too. Employers might not take kindly to candidates who use blogs to broadcast what they might consider as being outrageous views.

Social networking sites can also be used to commit crimesagainst you. Identity theft can be a serious issue and information accessed online can help that happen. Which? recently produced a report about the risks. To test how easy it would be to find personal data about somebody on publicly accessible websites, Which? asked a researcher to investigate their editor Neil Fowler. Using only Mr Fowler’s name and occupation, the researcher was able to find out details including the names of close family members and the floorplans to his home, including access points.

However you can protect yourself. Blogs can be anonymous. Social networking websites generally have privacy controls – e.g. Facebook. You can choose what level of information people can see and therefore conceal information about yourself. When applying for jobs make sure these settings are set to protect you and allow you to continue to share the network with your friends. Social networking is here to stay and grow, just make sure you have control over what aspects of your life are public online.

Interested in Advertising or Marketing?

Limited places are available

In addition to the extensive programme of events organised on campus, the careers service also gives you access to many specialist courses in central London.  Students from RHUL benefit from reduced prices for these events. A full calender of events can be found here

Marketing and advertising are sectors that are of great interest to many international students. This event is designed to give a comprehensive introduction to Marketing, Advertising and PR.

You will have the opportunity to meet professionals, be advised on how to break into this competitive field of work and take part in case studies.

Speakers so far confirmed include:

• Luther Pendragon – strategic communications consultancy across the media, industry, the City and politics.
• Saatchi & Saatchi –advertising agency.
• JWT – fourth largest advertising agency in the world.
• Major Players – recruitment agency specialising in careers in advertising, marketing, PR, creative design and digital media.
• BBH – advertising agency
• Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry - PR company
• Ketchum – PR agency
• InitialsMarketing – Promotional, digital, advertising, direct marketing, shopper marketing & face to face marketing
• Geoff Howe – Digital Marketing

Join us on Facebook, where you’ll receive updates, can take part in discussions, ask us your questions and share the event with your friends and anyone who you think will be interested in applying to this course: www.careers.lon.ac.uk/facebook/map

You can find out more about this event and book your place here.

If you are attending this event and are interested in writing what you’ve learnt on this blog, please let me know.

Get those CITY COURSE applications in by 12 June

The City Course is a five-day non-residential course guaranteed to give you an insider’s perspective on a career in the City. For an entire week, top financial firms will open their doors to you. Through a series of in-house workshops, case studies, presentations and discussions, you’ll get an up-close-and-personal insight on working life in London’s financial centre. You’ll start early, work hard, and come away with a detailed understanding of how the City works. The programme covers investment banking, management consultancy, accountancy, commercial law, risk management, and more.

The City Course is exclusive to students attending colleges in The Careers Group consortium – RHUL students can apply now! The closing date is 12 June and there are very limited places.  Click here to download an application form or here to find out more about the course.

You can even join the City Course on Facebook!