As of mid-March 2020, it鈥檚 hard to log in to social media without seeing a gamut of COVID-19 posts. As the United States and other countries respond to the virus outbreak with recommendations for social distancing, and universities close their on-campus doors for the rest of the semester, how can students stay connected without getting drawn into the negative social media?
国产AV Marketing Professor and Department Chair has some suggestions. McCorkle teaches social media and digital marketing, sharing his love for personal branding with his students on campus each semester. Here, he offers ideas on how to use this time for a more positive outlook: staying mentally healthy and preparing for a career and future job search.
- Don鈥檛 rely on social media for the news.鈥Fake news and rumors will only mislead and cause more anxiety.鈥Get your coronavirus news from trusted and reliable sources, such as the Centers of
Disease Control (CDC), and quit the random Google searches for popular information.
- 鈥Stay out of the politics of this tragedy. Joining these controversial social media conversations is not helpful and can harm
your personal brand (or how others see you) and job search.
- 鈥Focus more on your use of social media networks and groups to connect with family
and friends. Positive support and humor are useful for times like these. 鈥
- 鈥Use social media for career learning. Use Feedly (browser or app) to create a folder for organizing and following the best blogs on
a career subject. Start by Googling 鈥渂est blogs for _____鈥 and visit AllTop.com.鈥疧r,
create a Twitter List of the top bloggers on that career subject. And, go directly
to that Twitter List for shared content rather than the broader and unfocused Twitter
stream.鈥鈥
- Don鈥檛鈥痜orget to build your personal brand by social sharing what you are learning
for your career.
- Don鈥檛鈥痜orget to build your personal brand by social sharing what you are learning
for your career.
- Use more of your social media time to develop and improve your professional profiles
on LinkedIn and other social media.鈥赌
- For example, use a LinkedIn banner header template on Canva to create and showcase your favorite business quote.鈥疻rite or revise your LinkedIn About section to show and storytell more about your passion for your current or future career.鈥赌
- Google search for advice and ideas for improving your social media profiles and activities.
- Make some new professional connections on LinkedIn by sending a personalized invitation
telling them how you know them and why you want to connect.鈥赌鈥
- 鈥淐onnect鈥 with people you already know (classmates, professors, alumni, coworkers, supervisors) and 鈥淔ollow鈥 those to learn from for your career.鈥鈥
- Use the LinkedIn search box to search for new connections by using career-related
keywords, location, companies and universities.鈥鈥Then make sure your LinkedIn Headline section has those keywords so others can more
easily find you, too.
- Create content to show your social media connections what you are learning, thinking
and doing.鈥鈥LinkedIn makes it easy with the option for 鈥渨riting a post.鈥 Keep it positive, professional
and career-focused.鈥疧r, make quote graphics using the Adobe Spark Post app and share to your social
networks.
- 鈥Turn off your social media notifications. Life is already disrupted enough.鈥Keep your professional focus on using social media to learn, create and make new connections.
- Take advantage of sharing time with those you live with.鈥Make fun videos.鈥疨lay word game apps.鈥Exercise together. Read to each other.鈥疌ook or plan meals together. Do something creative, fun and educational (with or without social media and the Internet).
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