on october 25th, a survey* released the results of over 150 business schools in the united states. while the survey only interviewed business schools, the implications are relevant to all college and graduate school applicants.

with regard to social media, the results very clearly indicate that an applicant’s social media profile is becoming more and more a part of the application process. here are some particularly important stats:

• 35% of admissions officers say they visit applicants’ social media accounts (up from 22% in 2011) to acquaint themselves with an applicant in an informal way.
   
• of those who said they visited social media sites, 33% say they do it “often.”
   
• social media accounts have negatively impacted an applicant half the time (up from 14% in 2011), and have had a positive impact the other half (48% – the question wasn’t asked in 2011).
   
• some of the information that negatively impacted applicants included misaligned goals, racism, and unpleasant imagery.
   
• applicants were helped by evidence of volunteer work, writing samples, and an overall positive impression of the candidate from hobbies and ambitions.
   
• 61% of those surveyed agreed with the statement, “what students post on their social media pages is in the public sphere, so it’s ‘fair game’ for us to use to help make admissions decisions.”

so what are the implications? at accepted, we advise all college and grad school applicants that before they apply, they need to do a serious audit of all of their social media accounts. when you review your accounts, don’t leave a single one out, even if you think that you only use pinterest for collecting cute ideas for knitting socks, or instagram for posting pictures of your dog. at some point you may have posted, liked, or commented on something inappropriate.

once you have done the audit yourself, enlist the help of someone you trust implicitly (parent, family friend, colleague, admissions consultant, professor – essentially anyone you know has your best interests at heart) to check through your accounts as well.

when you are confident that your accounts look good, it is time for you to focus on how to use social media going forward. even if you think your settings are private and others won’t be able to see your content, act as if what you post is public. consider the following:

would what you are about to post make your favorite teacher proud?

what about your boss who you so respect?

how would your beloved grandmother feel if she saw it?

if you think the response would be negative, don’t post it. on the flip side, if you have accomplishments, extracurriculars, or other positive information to share, continue to do so!

whether you realize it or not, social media is a reflection of your personal brand, and will continue to be as you move forward in school and with your career. treat it with care.

*survey conducted by kaplan test prep

create an admissions profile that will impress the adcom! team up with an accepted admissions expert who will help you present yourself at your best and get accepted to your dream school.

jen weld worked as an admissions consultant and former asst. dir. of admissions at cornell’s emba program (4 years) prior to joining accepted. she has an additional 10 years of experience in higher ed and corporate marketing. she is happy to assist you with your graduate school applications.

this article was originally posted on accepted admissions blog.

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teamwork, and its close cousin, leadership, are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. haven’t worked in teams on any regular basis? don’t worry! there are more ways than you may realize to prove your chops in this area. consider the following 4 options:

1. remember: no man is an island

unless you’ve been living alone on an island for the last several years, you have undoubtedly participated in various groups. you may have been a member of a sports team or dance troupe, a member of a committee on either a volunteer or workplace basis, helped to organize an event, planned a triathlon, or been a tutor, big brother, or big sister. in each case, you were working with other people, even if it was only one other person, and had opportunities to display teamwork.

2. put your listening ears on

teamwork and collaboration involve effective listening, so if you can discuss a time when you took the time to listen to others, patiently and skillfully, and how doing so eased tensions and increased collaboration, that will demonstrate your teamwork abilities.

3. discuss morale boosting and conflict resolution

talk about the steps you took to improve morale or motivate. if you helped to generate enthusiasm for a project when enthusiasm was flagging, or brainstormed an idea to strengthen a group or project, that’s also teamwork. if you were a member of a committee and figured out a way for two warring members of the committee to stop fighting and start working together, that would also constitute teamwork. any time you took the initiative to get involved with other people (especially when they are difficult!) to find a better way to get things done, find a middle ground, brainstorm a new idea, it’s all teamwork.

4. think small

effective teamwork can also be shown in very small groups. a client once wrote about her efforts to heal a serious rift in her family after her father passed away and siblings fought for control of the successful family business. an ugly succession fight was underway. the client’s ability to patiently coax cooperation in such an emotionally charged environment, including her “shuttle diplomacy” and active listening among family members, displayed skilled teamwork and leadership. another client wrote about having organized a trip with a few friends, and how she dealt with a dispute between two of the participants whose bickering threatened to ruin the trip for everyone. her effective listening, and creatively figuring out an activity that both of the “combatants” would not be able to resist, helped defuse the situation and save the trip from descending into a hellish situation for everyone. in both these situations, the “teams” were small but the stakes for those involved were high.

 
so do not feel stymied when asked for examples of how you have displayed teamwork – as you now see, you’ve been working in teams more often than you realize!

about linda abraham:

accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top universities since 1994 – they know what works and what doesn’t, so follow linda abraham on google+ and contact accepted to get started or visit accepted.com for all your admissions consulting needs today!

photo at top courtesy of shutterstock.com / rawpixel.com

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happy 2014!

finding a job in 2014 is a lot more fun than it used to be. nowadays, there are dozens of avenues you can take to get the job of your dreams. no more traveling from place to place with a stack of resumes in hand, hoping it falls into the hands of the hiring manager. with social media, the application process is much simpler. from searching for a job to researching a potential fit, all can be done from the comfort of your computer. below are 5 easy ways social media can help the application process.

1. find the job

   looking for the right job for you can be tough. gone are the days opening the ‘want’ ads and circling the job listings that appeal to you. today, employers list open positions on their website where you can also apply right away online. this can be a cumbersome task if you’re going from site to site and checking career openings. luckily, there are dozens of sites dedicated to helping you find job openings that fit your skills. you also no longer need a hard resume as your experience can be put on the web for potential employers to see. the largest of these strategic social networking sites is linkedin. when you create an account and upload your resume and job history, you can begin to navigate the largest professional social network out there. companies who are hiring often post their open positions on linkedin, hoping to find the perfect fit for business. moreover, linkedin allows you to stay connected with peers in your industry in case they are aware of open positions or their company is hiring. but make sure you fill out your linkedin profile completely, as having a robust profile will make you very enticing to headhunters. if you are detailed enough, you could be receiving job offers without even looking.

   if you’re not active on linkedin, 1) you should be! and 2) there are other options to finding a job using social networks. recruiters and hr personnel have other ways to list openings to ensure they are reaching a vast talent pool. many business openings are found on social networks by using hashtags or specific key phrases. using a social media monitoring tool like viralheat allows job seekers to track hashtags and phrases like: #hiring, #job, ‘employment opportunity’ or other keywords and phrases relating to your specific industry.

2. research the job

   after you’ve found a job that you like, it’s best to be informed about the company. that means not only knowing about the product, but also the company culture. what does the company do? how does the company interact with its employees? an inviting and lively company culture attracts more applicants than a company with no culture.

   a great way to see how a company operates is through their social networks. find the company’s twitter and facebook profiles to learn more about the business, the kind of messages they send to their audiences, and what the audiences are saying about the brand. take a look at its website and read its blog to see what issue areas the business is focused on. does the business have an instagram account? take a look through the photos and videos to get a great view into company events and lifestyle.

3. reach out

   now that you found the company’s social presence, don’t be a lurker. interact with the content the company is publishing. like, comment, retweet, and favorite interesting posts. you will be noticed. the company’s team is watching and will take notice of a positive response on their social networks. not only will this please people at the company, but it will also show you are interested and willing to go the extra mile for the job. being a positive influence on the company before you even walk into the interview can help you secure the interview, and maybe even the position.

4. sift through the bad ones

   if you’re actively searching for a job, you know how many job positions are open. at times, you’ve already gone through pages of listings and submitted tons of applications. but along with the high number of resumes you’ve sent out, a handful are bound to fall into the hands of a bad business. don’t be left uninformed about the companies you’ve applied for – a job that may look nice at first glance could, in reality, be a nightmare. this nightmare could manifest in a number of ways: bad management, terrible work hours, or mistreatment of employees.

   in your research of the company, it’s best practice to take a look at what other people are saying about the business. there are many sites out there that are dedicated (glassdoor, for example) to providing as much information into a company as possible, including reviews. you can learn from others who have first hand accounts about company life, work ethic, and more. take into consideration all of the feedback (positive and negative) a company has received to see if the business still appeals to you. chances are if there is an overwhelming majority of either positive or negative reviews, your job experience with that company will follow a similar pattern.

5. reach out for references and referrals

   one of social media’s biggest benefits is the ability to stay in touch with people. keeping in touch with former colleagues and peers is a major benefit when you’re in the job hunt. contact your former coworkers through facebook, twitter, and linkedin and ask them to be references for you. you can also ask them if they are aware of any open positions that fit you. these are people who have worked with you directly so you know they can accurately speak to your work ethic and capabilities. if you’re on linkedin, ask former supervisors, managers, and colleagues to endorse your skills and write you a review so when potential employers look up your profile, they get an accurate glimpse into your abilities.

   take these 5 tips into consideration when you’re in the job hunt. as all job seekers know, job hunting is a full-time job in itself. using social media, however, can take some of the pain away. your ideal job is out there so take these tips and go find it.

   this guest post was written by jeff anaya. jeff is part of the marketing team with viralheat, the social media marketing suite for business. when he’s not talking, writing, or researching about the growing world of social media marketing, you can find him quoting movies from the 90s, podcasting at a pirate radio station in san francisco’s mission district, or planning a road trip. you can tweet him at @jeffanaya, add him to your google+ circle, or email him at anaya@viralheat.com.

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ongoing research, which tracks the migration of students to online higher education in the united states, continues to show that there is a steadily growing population of individuals enrolling in this new form of study. with more and more students seeing the benefits in online education, it’s no wonder there is a tremendous push for schools to increase their online program offerings. in addition, we now see several colleges and universities working to be the brand name in online higher education.

there is no denying the seemingly many benefits of an online education, particularly for adults and working professionals looking for career advancement through a graduate degree while juggling a myriad of other responsibilities. online education is convenient, with no travel time to and from class, and enables flexible scheduling and easy anytime access to instructors via email. in addition, online classes provide greater student diversity in class with individuals from potentially all over the world enrolled. finally, with many of the course materials and documents also hosted online, and no traveling costs, this form of education appears to be the most cost effective for some students.

in a time when we are growing increasingly connected to the world through our computers and handheld devices, and looking for quicker solutions to all of our challenges through technological advancements, it makes sense that there is both a significant demand for and supply of online education. it seems to be the perfect solution.

interestingly, with higher education institutions flocking to increase programs of online study, university faculty are not always wholeheartedly on board with the change. “while the percentage of schools wading into the deep end of virtual education by offering entire programs online has nearly doubled in the last decade, faculty members on the whole have grown more resistant to virtual instruction” argued a 2013 u.s. news article.

while some number of faculty appear to be responding to a growing concern that online education will eventually eliminate – or at least significantly decrease – the need for their profession, others clearly believe that an online education is inferior to traditional classroom learning. with several disadvantages of online education, including the concern of future employers over the validity of an online degree, the inability of students to communicate face-to-face with faculty, the lack of student discipline, and poor retention rates, there are legitimate concerns to the online learning shift.

as with choosing a traditional college or university to attend, thorough research should be conducted into a particular online program prior to enrolling. many faculty members acknowledge that not all programs are created equally and there are many outstanding online programs that could be considered superior to in classroom learning.

this article was written by kerry auge and edited by laura morrison, the content manager of gradschools.com. if you want to learn more about online programs, click right here.

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so you landed an interview for a job in social media? that’s great! congratulations on taking the first step towards a new, exciting, and promising job filled with benefits and normal hours (hopefully). you will be neck deep in internet trends, reading and writing till the day is done, creating compelling content, and building your companies corporate image. huzzah! but, before you start uncorking the champagne (you drunkard), here are some things to consider before walking into the interview.

1. don’t get ahead of yourself.you don’t have the job until you sign the papers. that being said, remember to focus on the interview. don’t think about what you need to do once you get the job – you don’t have it yet. put your efforts into giving a good, memorable interview that shows why they absolutely need to hire you.also, don’t stop looking for other jobs! avoid putting all your eggs in one basket because it’s better to have many options to choose from if this one doesn’t work out.

1. play nice.you’re interviewing for a job in social media… a professional job in social media. so before you go in for the talk, make sure that all of your social presences are clean. that means no offensive tweets, no inflammatory posts, and lay off the swearing. do you have any posts that have misspelled or grammatically incorrect language? destroy them.a job in social often requires you to promote from your personal accounts so it’s best to have a public profile. but if the thought of your accounts being public make you squirm, consider making a professional account.
2. look good.i’m sure you look great all the time. but when it comes to interviews, it pays to dress to impress. no t-shirts with cartoons on them! dress codes change depending on where you are interviewing, but err on the side of caution. whether it’s a small, up-and-coming start-up full of employees in jeans and t-shirts, or a corporate, suit-and-tie conglomerate with reach across the globe, your taste in clothing will never be (initially) questioned if you’re dressed nicely. ladies, make sure your hair is smooth and your makeup minimal. and for the fellas, don’t forget to clean up that 5 o’clock shadow.

1. be qualified.many times you may not be a 100% perfect fit for a job, but don’t worry – that’s not always a deal breaker. as a newcomer to this industry, you’re expected to learn and grow with your role. but you do need to be knowledgeable in the space and about the company and its mission and objectives. take time to study the list of requirements/preferred qualifications. review which skills you do and do not possess, be prepared to talk about how you will be an asset to the company. if the job requires an understanding of a certain program you don’t know, (in social media that probably means a third-party app like hootsuite or viralheat) start a free trial version and practice. you never know what they’ll ask you about your skill set so it’s best to be prepared.
2. have samples.a job in social media requires a mix of skills. the ideal candidate is a great writer, creative thinker, and amazing multi-tasker. most employers will ask for samples of creative work that you have done to get an idea of your style and to gauge if you’re a good fit for the role. examples can range from blog posts and social platforms you have managed, to audio and video products. having quality examples of your work is crucial to showing that you’re the right one for the job.
3. know the business.do your research! it’s always good to know what the business you’re interviewing with actually does. look past the jargon. don’t just memorize a tag line – dig a little deeper and try to really understand what the company’s mission and objective is. take a look at their website and their social presences to get a feel for the company. if they sell a consumer product, try to find it in a store. show them that you know what the business does so you can speak on how you will contribute as a member of the team.

1. be confident.it’s okay to feel nervous, but remember that the interviewer is just a person on the other side of a desk. he or she is looking for someone that is both qualified and someone that they can tolerate on a day-to-day basis. so show some personality and don’t be afraid. remember this is a job in social media – so they’ll only like you more if you’re engaging and friendly.

1. draw from your experiences.because you don’t have a huge corporate resume with fancy numbers and data, you will have to give a lot of anecdotal evidence about why you’re a good fit. so have some good stories ready when they ask you questions. there are a few questions that you can expect to hear at a first interview: ‘tell me a time when you showed leadership at your job,’ ‘tell me a particularly hard problem and how you went about solving it’ or ‘tell me about a time you went above and beyond the call of duty for someone’. be honest and use examples that can be applicable to a potential situation in the role you’re applying for.

1. don’t bs.seriously. interviewers can smell bs. although this isn’t a hard and fast rule and some topics can be glossed over, i suggest being prepared. if you don’t have an answer, say you need to think it over and get back to them.they may ask cliché, vague questions like, ‘what’s your greatest weakness?’ don’t say things like ‘i am a perfectionist’ or ‘sometimes i care too much.’ interviewers have heard it too many times before. be honest, but not too honest. you don’t want to say ‘i struggle with working in the morning.’ try to spin your answers to be positive without sounding silly. try ‘i take too much time trying to get something right’ or ‘i pay too much attention to detail when i should seek further guidance.’ honest answers are respected more than obviously fabricated replies.

1. have questions ready.at the end of the interview, they’ll run out of talking points and ask if you have any questions. this is a good place to show initiative and interest in the company. ask questions about the job and company culture. what responsibilities will you be in charge of on a day-to-day basis? will you be working with a team? will you have to learn any special skills or programs? what does he or she like most about the company? what has he or she learned while at this company? questions show interest, and you definitely want to show them you’re interested.with these tips you can walk into that interview feeling ready. ultimately, remember that you’re awesome. you can do it!this guest post was written by jeff anaya. jeff is part of the marketing team with viralheat, the social media marketing suite for business. when he’s not talking, writing, or researching about the growing world of social media marketing, you can find him quoting movies from the 90s, podcasting at a pirate radio station in san francisco’s mission district, or planning a road trip. you can tweet him at @jeffanaya, add him to your google+ circle, or email him at anaya@viralheat.com.

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