In the Career Advisory Board’s 2013 study of how career centers use technology, they found even though 94% of career advisors today provide some kind of advice to students in regards to social media, only 25% of universities actually train their advisors on how to give this advice.

Isn’t this a little bit like asking a plumber to give you a haircut?

He might be a good plumber, and he might even be able to figure out how to cut hair, but without proper training you probably wouldn’t trust him with a pair of scissors!

After all, according to other studies, like Jobvite’s 2012 State of Recruiting, over 95% of employers rely on social media to recruit. Therefore, getting social media right is just as important as getting the resume right.

So, where is our support?

Over 77% of career centers provide some kind of social media training for students (but only 25% of universities prepare advisors to do this).

So, who is training the trainer?

Chances are good you know your students need to get savvy on social.

So, why aren’t our university leaders taking this more seriously?

I believe strongly that it is every career professional’s ethical responsibility to understand social media’s role in the hiring process and to become adept at coaching it, regardless of the school’s willingness to help. 

Want to Hear Something Even Crazier?

91.65% of career advisors use Facebook, yet the majority of us say LinkedIn is way more effective. Why are we using a network that we don’t even believe is effective?

Maybe it’s because we’re not getting trained to use it effectively. You see, Jobvite reports Facebook is responsible for 11 million more jobs in America than LinkedIn. I think there’s a knowledge gap we have yet to catch up with.

This is why I’m so driven to create a standards-based social media training curriculum.

If we can all talk the same language—if we can all teach social media the same way—then we might actually be able to gauge whether we’re doing a good job or not.

I’ve recently seen social media presentations using outdated screenshots, talking about features that don’t exist anymore, and offering advice that I’ve found to be ineffective with employers.

This is hurting our students.

Calling All Caring College Career Advisors

It’s not enough to scare students into locking down their Facebook accounts, because that’s just not going to happen.

(Let’s be serious.)

It’s not enough to show students how to set up a LinkedIn profile, because there’s a good chance they won’t properly nurture their account afterward (if they even show up to such a class!)

Students need to be educated about WHY social media is a non-negotiable element of their job search. They need to understand the benefits of correctly using their accounts.

In other words, they need help with motivation and strategy.

That’s where you come in.

Truth be told, motivating a young mind is not easy… but you don’t have to do it alone.

That’s where I come in.

I research best practices for using social media to find work for a living. I do this so you don’t have to. This is MY job.

Since our schools are not doing it, then why not go for a little help? (from the hairstylist, not the plumber, of course)

Download a social media training syllabus and learn about my curriculum complete with lecture notes, slides and other research to make your job teaching social media skills even easier.