Tales of a PR Enthusiast

To put it lightly, Twitter is a must for college students. It is something every college student can benefit from. Over the last seven months of having a Twitter account, I can’t even begin to explain all of the opportunities I have come across from the social media Website. In 140 characters or less, I have discovered a personal outlet to the world where I can talk and connect with thousands of people across the country and the world. Twitter has been a useful source in my job hunting efforts and it even helps lower my stress level, which that alone is good enough for me. Twitter is just now beginning to grow in our society and who knows what other great opportunities lay ahead in the Twitterverse future.

When I talk about Twitter to my friends and family, they just look at me like I am the biggest geek to ever walk this planet. I keep telling them to just try it and see what they think. A lot of them create accounts and instantly get confused on what the point of Twitter really is. I tell them that everyone has a different purpose for using Twitter and it all depends on what you want to get out of it.

As a college student about to graduate, I explain four major reasons why Twitter is crucial for college students.

1. Networking – First and foremost, Twitter is your source of access to the world. Millions of people own Twitter accounts and millions of those people have jobs that may be in a profession you are interested in pursuing. Within one quick 140 character tweet you are able to connect with a professional in your preferred career field, or someone who knows someone in that field, who could lead you to a possible job or interview. In my opinion, college students would have to be crazy to pass up a networking opportunity like this. In my case, I knew I wanted to work in public relations in New York City. So, through Twitter, I knew I had the ability to connect with people working in NYC in public relations. Sure enough I was able to build a network of great people who were willing to help me on my quest for PR in the City. I could go on and on about networking through Twitter, but the possibilities and opportunities are endless.

2. Personally Brand Yourself - Twitter allows you to show your personality and who you are as a person. It also gives you the chance to show people your goals in life and how you work to achieve those goals. Twitter gives me the chance to talk about public relations and social media and other subjects I’m interested in, while portraying who I am personally and professionally. Using the Twitter background, profile section and avatar are also very important in creating a personal brand. Using Websites, such as http://freetwitterdesigner.com/, helps you develop a creative Twitter background that shows your Website URL(s) and describe who you are in more detail. Here are a few examples of people who use Twitter backgrounds to their full advantage: http://twitter.com/kyleplacy, http://twitter.com/mayhemstudios, http://twitter.com/Fishdogs, and http://twitter.com/unmarketing. As for the Twitter profile section, make sure you include a relevant Website (blog or LinkedIN URL’s) that shows your work and experience and use the bio to describe who you are personally AND professionally in 160 characters or less. Last but not least, your avatar picture should be a picture you would want your grandmother to see. I would highly recommend not using a picture where you are wasted puking out of a car window or half naked dancing around to “Ice, Ice Baby” at a party.

3. Get your resume out there – Twitter is a daily, instantly updated resume. With each tweet, you are able to post everything you are involved in with internships, projects, campaigns, etc. It is a great way to let potential employers know the types of projects you are working on and the results of those projects. For example, I liked sharing tweets about social media articles I found for e-mail updates while interning at my last PR agency. I also enjoyed tweeting about a walking event I helped organize for my current job. Like I said before, you can also use your Twitter background and profile section to post your LinkedIN URL so tweeters can see a more detailed resume format with recommendations.

4. Meet amazing people – Through my experience with Twitter it seems that everyone is ready and willing to help you in any way they can. Whether it’s helping you find a job or internship, helping with a computer issue or just helping you get through your day, twitterers are there for you always. To me, it is quite the phenomenon because I never realized how many perfect strangers want to help you. I’ve been able to communicate with CEO’s of companies, people in Europe and fellow college students who have helped me with a situation in one way or another. No matter the age, race, gender or location, tweeters always seem to find something in common with one another. I even found a travel buddy to go to Europe with me through Twitter. It is hands down one of the best ways to network for college students.

College students must be out of their minds not to take full advantage of Twitter. Some might think it’s too confusing and complicated or just way too nerdy for their liking, but I beg to differ. It can be confusing at first but once you get started you will get the hang of it. As for being nerdy, that is a completely false accusation. All of the celebrities are tweeting so it must be cool, right?