Social media and professional career

Social media and professional career

 Introduction

Notably, the social media has become a great part of many people’s lives and it has become great to remain connected with the global world. Just almost everybody you know is on Twitter, What-up, LinkedIn, and Facebook. When properly utilized, the social media platforms can be far beneficial in unimaginable ways. On the other hand, when used in the wrong way, it can impact an individual negatively. Some of the impacts of the social media are mild, and they might not be noticeable in the short run. However, their impact, in the long run, can be devastating (Roman, 2014). The main objective of this essay is to explore the positive and the negative impact of the social media on professional careers and how one can elevate the positive and supress the negative.

There are various positive impacts that the social media can have on an individual professional career. One of the impacts is that it can help a person to network with co-workers and potential employers. Social media platform such as Facebook and LinkedIn have been instrumental in helping individual share ideas with the co-workers on various professional issues such as workplace customization and career development. On the hand, it is possible to find a potential employer on social media as it has become a media of choice for many of the employers. Research has indicated that many of the employers are preferring the social media in recruiting due to the accrued diversity that is associated with the platform (Siddiqui, & Singh, 2016).  Therefore, it is relatively important for an individual to keep his or her social media profiles professional at all times as a potential employer can be watching.

The second positive impact that it can impact positively on individuals who have professional careers in business.  There are various ways that the social media can impact business oriented professional careers.  For instance, it allows an individual to have a quick response to the needs of the clients, and this helps in elevating the loyalty of the customers. Similarly, social media help in brand recognition and engagement. Notably, having a professional career in business for starters is greatly affected by the issue of market entry. However, the social media has come to change this notion as it provides an individual with a platform to endorse their brand and consequently gives more exposure to a given product. The social media also helps in increasing the brand awareness through sales and advertising. In this regard, with good and effective use of the social media, an individual can be able to track the response and feedback of the customers and make the necessary adjustments

Still, on the positive effects of social media on career, social media has an accrued impact on a job search. In professional career development, one of the crucial and among the most tasking activity is job search.  People go to a great extent in the attempt to secure a good job. However, the social media has helped to reduce the struggle. Research indicates that more than 60% of the employers use the social media to research for potential employees. Most employers admit that they cannot be able to employ an individual if they cannot find inflation about him or her in the media platform. As a result, many individuals have used this prospect to develop their career by ensuring that they develop social media accounts that are attractive and which describe their positive side.

In a review of the negative effect of the social media in a professional career, various negative impacts can be noted. One of the most common is getting fired. Many people have admitted that social media played a central role in them losing their career jobs as a result of a poor comment on the social media. Notably, it is relatively important to consider what you post on the social media as it can precipitate to you losing a good career opportunity.  It is worth noting that not only your friends are following your post on various social media platforms. Your employers are also watching, and a little slip can cost you your job. In this regard, it is good to create a good social media blueprint to ensure that the social media does not bite you back (Kettunen, Vuorinen,  & Sampson 2013). It is good to keep the social media sites professional and constantly update them to ensure that potential employers can comfortably and easily contact you.

Another negative impact of the social media is the issue of fraud. The social media is relatively free media, and as a result, it has been linked to many frauds. In developing a professional career, it is not advisable to completely depend on the social media as it is not all the individual in the media are genuine (Benson, Morgan, & Filippaios, 2014). There has been an increased complaint of individuals who have been cheated on social media under the promise that they will be connected to a good career job. In this regard, when using a social media platform for career development, it is important to research a potential employer to ensure that they credible and candid before committing.

For an individual with the objective of developing a professional career in business, there are various negative impacts of the social media when one over-relies on it. One of the impacts is that it is hard to measure the results of the social media advertising. On the other hand, getting involved in the social media is time-consuming, and it sometimes hinders individuals from concentrating in other areas that relevant to their career. Also, a wrong online brand strategy has been noted as one of the fact that has doomed much business and has placed huge viral social disadvantages. Many businesses have received negative feedback from customers, and this has doomed many of the businesses.

Conclusion

The social media can be an essential and relatively powerful tool that individuals can use in developing their career. Individuals can be able to socialize and network with their co-workers.  One can be able to use the social media to showcase their expertise and professional achievements and, in turn, connect with professionals in a given industry. In this regard, it a platform that can help one land a job. However, the social media should be approached with care as it has the potential to hurt your career. In this regard, an individual should be aware of the footprint they leave behind in the social media as it can to haunt their professional careers in the future.  It is good to note that employers are following us in the social media and one slip can result in the end of a good professional career. Keeping a positive mind when using the social media is essential.

References

Benson, V., Morgan, S., & Filippaios, F. (2014). Social career management: Social media and       employability skills gap. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 519-525.

Kettunen, J., Vuorinen, R., & Sampson Jr, J. P. (2013). Career practitioners’ conceptions of           social media in career services. British journal of guidance & counselling, 41(3), 302-          317.

Roman, L. A. (2014). Using social media to enhance career development opportunities for health             promotion professionals. Health promotion practice, 15(4), 471-475.

Siddiqui, S., & Singh, T. (2016). Social Media its Impact with Positive and Negative Aspects.      International Journal of Computer Applications Technology and Research, 5(2), 071-      075.