Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Cascade Career Services hosts workshops for students on social networking's effect on job hunting

Photos and Story by James Hill

What many job-seekers don’t know is that employers could go online to find out about prospective employees, often with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

“At least 45 percent of employers are looking up job candidates online,” said Becky Washington, coordinator of Career Services, based at Cascade. “That means that the humorous link or picture that you put up on your Facebook page can come back to haunt you. The personal brand that you create online is becoming more and more important in the eyes of employers.”

And it’s not just employers who are using the Internet to investigate prospective workers, Washington added. Financial aid and scholarship professionals are also going online to research students.

Washington and her colleagues are teaming up to offer “Brand or Be Branded: Social Media and Job Search for Community College Students,” an upcoming series of workshops at Cascade Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth St. The workshops will examine the phenomenon of online personal branding and how it impacts your job search, and recommend the five things you should do – and not do – online if you’re looking for a job.

The workshops are scheduled for the following times and places:

· 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, Cascade Campus Library, Room 106

· 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, Terrell Hall Room 125

· Noon Wednesday, Nov. 4, Student Services Building Room 103E

· 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, Terrell Hall Room 125.

“It’s OK if you don’t know anything about ‘social media,’ ” Washington said. “The workshops are open to everyone.”