Social media for career development: A door to deeper information skills

Poster presented at the California Conference on Library Instruction, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, 2013 April 5.Although social media is the dominant method of communication among college students, the transition from personal to professional use creates unique challenges for which many seek support. This poster presents a workshop that engages students in strengthening their professional presence online by integrating a range of career related information literacy skills. Students are given strategies for navigating professional resources and identifying major trends in their field, while at the same time incorporating information they gather into original content—such as blog posts, twitter updates, or newsletter submissions—to begin building a professional identity. Poster also includes advice for collaboration with the campus career center as well as suggestions on marketing the workshop to students and faculty for campus wide support. The use of social media in this course allows students to approach career research from the perspective of information producers and active participants. Investigation, evaluation, and communication skills are all addressed through hands-on development of professionally oriented social media communications. This project takes advantage students’ enthusiasm for online communication and career development to as an opportunity to provide practical information skills for success in our complex and competitive job market