Social Media Accounts for LIS Students & Professionals

Career Blog

Published: October 3, 2020 by iSchool Career Advisor

Networking - Why & How

Social media can help you find a job in archives, library, and other information career environments.

You already know that social media can help you find a job. You know that it can help you meet new people and network, and you know that those connections are what will likely lead you to a new job. Finding like-minded professionals can seem like finding a needle in a haystack of needles, so here are some starting points. Share some of your own in the comments!

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site (it boasts over 433 million members) and it’s the site that employers and HR professionals use most when searching for candidates. Use it to network and connect with other professionals, join and participate in groups, ask and answer questions, and connect with alumni.

Not sure how to get started? Check out the iSchool webcast, LinkedIn – Develop Your Online Brand.

A few groups of interest to get you started:

You can also use Facebook to grow your professional network, both by connecting with individuals (though be wary of what you post if you’re connecting with work-related folks) and by joining groups.

A few groups of interest to get you started:

Twitter can also be an excellent networking tool, but you to have to be smart about how you use it. Make sure you have a professional-looking profile picture, and write your profile with your career in mind (think about it like a mini elevator pitch). Follow companies, industry leaders, job lists, and any other accounts that look interesting or useful, and interact with them.

Don’t just retweet (although that’s a good start) – engage fellow users in smart conversation. Share articles of interest. Shape your Twitter persona by how you act and what you post. If you want to keep work and life separate, consider creating separate accounts – one with a career focus and one with political rants or celebrity sightings or whatever. Keep in mind, though, that unless you set strict privacy controls or don’t use your name on your “life” account, companies can still find both accounts.

The interwebs is full of useful articles to help! Be sure to see Up Your Twitter Networking Game, and How to Use Twitter to Find a Job.

A few LIS Twitter accounts to investigate:

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive; please share some of your favorite groups or accounts or tips in the comments! Also, how do you use social media for career building? Do you have questions about it (or anything else, really) you would like to see addressed in future posts? The floor is yours, friends.

Image from the INFO 2014 infographic, 2016 by Kate M. Spaulding, MLIS ‘17.

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