It's all about who you know.
When looking for an occupation after college, the amount of people that directly know you can affect your chances when delving into the job market. Time and time again people are being hired thanks to their networking efforts and the relationships they make. Friends have often told me that social media followers don't matter, that they're just a number that has no real value. But is that really the case?
In one of my college courses, my professor brought up this topic: Do followers on social media matter? The topic got me thinking about how important social media has become in this day and age. The class ended up concluding that, in many cases, yes they do matter. Making a name for yourself is important. The more followers you have, the more people there are who will know you, your name, and your opinions. Having a large following can lead to a more successful future as well as a presence in many potential occupational positions. People tend to look up to those who have a large and positive audience. The more retweets you have, the more times your name shows up around the world. Hundreds of people identify and recognize one another just by using Twitter.
However, there are both positive and negative aspects of having a large Twitter following. It's always smart to keep your twitter positive, professional and free of any inappropriate pictures or words. Employers are bound to check not only how many people follow you, but the reasons why they follow you. The best way to get a large audience is of course to be entertaining and witty but being intelligent certainly doesn't hurt. When tweeting opinions and pictures, think about what kind of companies would hire you because of them. Charismatic people do consistently well in the business world which means it's a quality you'll want to demonstrate over social media.
The time-tested rule of keeping a clean and professional personality over social media is constantly being reiterated to us as college students who will eventually apply for a lifetime career. What many people who preach this rule don't realize is that you don't always have to be just professional, a little goofiness can also help. A person with a fun and bright personality is the sort all people want to have around them. Be yourself on social media and create your own type of following and audience.
Life can be really unfair and often boils down into a simple popularity contest. This is an unfortunate yet very common reality. Having more people who know your name, personality, and strengths will increase the amount of opportunities you have in the work place. While there are obviously many other factors involved in landing your dream job, having more Twitter followers can definitely help under the right circumstances. Just be sure to remember that keeping all of your social media clean and professional is also important!
