As I looked over this, I realized I’m going to come across as a curmudgeon.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I saw a middle-aged, out-of-shape person with scraggly hair scowling back. I smirked. I came to the conclusion I look the part and fit the profile of a curmudgeon; I’m okay with that. Hence, the post.
Social media has its values and negatives. People use Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin during job searches quite often. They can be powerful when used properly. They can also kill your chances of getting jobs if used improperly.
So today’s topic, simply put, is called: “Don’t do it.”
DON’T DO IT!
1. Request hooking on to a news manager’s linked in account by identifying yourself as a “friend.” You are not.
2. Request to follow a news manager’s tweets and attempt to communicate with that news manager by using “cute” shorthand. For example: “U R the best station plz hire me. LOL”
3. Try to become a news manager’s Facebook friend without first having made contact.
4. Expose your recklessness on Twitter. For example, if you request to follow my tweets and I, for some reason, request to follow yours, I don’t want to see commentaries on keg parties, fights with parents, your next date, or bad interviews.
5. Post provocative pictures of yourself on Facebook and request to be a news director’s friend.
I could go on and on but I think you get the point. I didn’t make any of these methods up; unfortunately, each one of these points has happened – multiple times. Not a single one of these individuals has ever been contacted by me for an interview. Use your common sense. And as a previous poster stated, be aware of your “digital tattoo.”
