SOCIAL MEDIA IS USUALLY THE FIRST PLACE PEOPLE GO IF THEY’RE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW JOB. IT’S A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU IN YOUR JOB SEARCH, SEE WHO’S HIRING, AND IN SOME CASES, EVEN APPLY FOR A JOB WITH A COUPLE OF CLICKS. WHILE SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HELP YOU FIND YOUR DREAM JOB, IT CAN ALSO HURT YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING THAT JOB IF YOU DON’T SPEND SOME TIME CONSIDERING YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA USE.

How has social media changed college admissions both from an admissions department perspective and an applicant’s perspective?

Most admissions departments look at social media as another tool in their arsenal to evaluate students during the admissions process. Some schools told me they regularly use students’ social media in their evaluation of potential candidates for admission while others said that while they don’t use it for most students, they do however use it for some.

The truth is, you’ll never going to know whether or not the admissions officer reviewing your application is going to check your social media accounts or not.

The latest Kaplan survey found that 66% of admissions professionals polled consider an applicants’ social media FAIR GAME. If they check, (usually Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube) it’s often to learn more about an applicant that might pique their interest but doesn’t fall into the “Definitely Yes” pile based on their application alone.

Clean Up Your Online Presence

For many people, when seasons change, our thoughts turn to cleaning up our homes – getting rid of the old stuff and organizing the things we actually need and want. We “lighten our load” and it feels good. “Spring” cleaning allows us to think about taking inventory of our lives and getting rid of anything that isn’t helping us live the life we want live or be the person we want to be. Let's extend our idea of “spring” cleaning to our digital footprint as well.