Twitter

It is no secret that there are a lot of valuable uses for social media, but I really want to highlight how you as a student or graduate can use social media to land yourself a job in advertising. By Dustin Brown, the director of new business at a Toronto-based agency.

This edition of What not to do was brought to you by @HireOSUgrads on Twitter.

This Facebook status has been making the rounds on dozens of blogs lately. We’ve all worked crappy jobs with bosses we hate before, but this is a good example of why it’s better to keep some things private in an increasingly public online world.

Moving forward, you will be asked less often to write a traditional press release, and expected more often to get the word out (in promotion, preventative and crisis communications) using the web-based communication tools available online (aka social media), such as Twitter, Digg, Facebook, etc.

“[Your boss] is now following your updates on Twitter.” 140 characters can make or break your image in the workplace. Would you say that to your boss’ face? If you would consider spray painting it in the town square, you know it’s probably OK to Tweet.

A student loan activist filed a complaint with the government because he says the loan term “grace period” is misleading and he might be right: 64% of students don’t understand what it means. Only 22% of Gen Y consumers use Twitter. Meanwhile, 95% of employers report using LinkedIn to find candidates.

Employers no longer rely completely on word of mouth or print ads to display the jobs they are posting, and you should not be relying on the same methods either. Have you ever seriously thought of using social networking sites to help you find a job?

30 ways to lose a job on Twitter. Stop job hunting like it’s 1999, dos and don’ts for ’09 grads. How to turn online social networking into real life relationships. Is your new role really best for you. A public service announcement for new grads.