In this blog post Professor David Rosen shares his views on good practice in the use of social media.
I have been asked by Brunel University Law Society to address the students today about how best to go about using social media to market themselves.
This is a blogpost intended for ALL students, anywhere.
This is not a blogpost to tell you what you should do, how you should be, what you should wear, what you should do with your life.
Do whatever makes you happy, and gives meaning to your life….or don’t. That is your prerogative.
Do whatever you want, but in doing so, you may find it that much harder to get a work-placement or a job.
On the basis that attention spans are challenged, I will keep this brief:
What DOES attracts an Employer: | What DOES NOT attract an Employer: | Lessons to learn: |
An Employer WILL ‘Google’ you.
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They will want to know you have a presence on the Internet | They do not want to see that you have no presence on the Internet at all. | …Write on blog-posts. Make sure your name appears. Share links. ‘Like’ things. ‘Share’ things
Make ‘Comments’.
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They will look at ‘influence’ search engines, such as Klout They do not want to see that you do not use any social media. Klout gives you a score as to how influential you are,
whom you influence, and in what areas, judged upon the amount of ‘friends’ you have |
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What DOES attracts an Employer: | What DOES NOT attract an Employer: | Lessons to learn: |
Pictures:
A nice picture of you |
A photo of you in a compromising position, drunk, off your face bordering comatose | …responsible, friendly, with friends, having a nice time, a nice holiday, something inspiring.
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Pictures of you with friends | Semi-naked pictures in compromising positions attract the wrong kind of Employer
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Funny pictures, inspiring pictures | A photo of a Cadbury’s Cream Egg…an apple, the floor of your room (if you can find it) | …Pictures paint a thousand words. What do your pictures say about you? |
Your bio/Your tag line:
Something…
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…Nothing
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…Stand out from the crowd. Show yourself to be keen, enthusiastic, hungry, inspiring, inspired, but not starving |
Your friends:
They will look at your friends, and with whom you associate |
Associations with extremist political, religious, or offensive groups or friends | …Choose your friends carefully
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100 friends + means you are not ‘Billy No Mates’. | LESS than 5 friends, infers you ARE ‘Billy No Mates’ | …Make friends |
1,000 friends + means you are influential | 10,000 friends + will be scrutinised. Did you buy them? Are they real?
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…Not too many sham friends, or you appear false and unsubstantiated. |
What you ‘like’ and ‘share’
Friends, and family comments, funny, serious, sometimes shocking, charity, appeals, plights |
‘Liking’ and ‘sharing’ something really distasteful, inappropriate, or improper | …Be responsible about what you ‘like’, and ‘share’.
It can be an implied endorsement
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The contents of your Comment: Constructive brevity
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Troll-like comments and behaviour. Insulting, destructive comments Swearing, cursing, poor spelling, poor grammar | …Consider the ‘blush’ test. What would your friends and family think of such comments? Your University? Your Employer? The Authorities? A Court of Law?
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When to make comments, share, or like:
Normal eating times
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Very early, or very late at night publications | …Test the various social media websites. Timing of comments, sharing, or liking, gives different
responses from different people. Groups of like-minded people tend to be on-line at specific times. Obviously, anything that Darlingtons Solicitors LLP, place on their blogposts is worth commenting, sharing, or liking…
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What groups to associate or join?
If a Law Student, your University, LawSchool, The Law Society, None at all, is not a realistic option. Law firms, Pro Bono schemes, Barristers’ Chambers, the Bar, lecturers. Current affairs. Newspapers such as The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Law Society Gazette, CharonQC, LegalCheek, LegalAware
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Avoid extremist political, religious, or
offensive groups |
..Demonstrate by association that you are keen and enjoy the subject and field you wish to work in. |
Wishing you all the very best of luck. By the way, I expect you to follow, share, and like this blogpost obviously, and to follow @ProfDavidRosen, @Brunellaw, @Brunellawsoc, @Darlingtons_ , @THEACFE, @ACFEUK
Professor David Rosen, is a practising Solicitor-Advocate, Partner and head of Litigation at Darlingtons Solicitors LLP, based in London, EC4. He is Vice-President and Strategic Director of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners UK Chapter, and a working member of the Fraud Advisory Panel. He is a member of the Society of Legal Scholars, and a member of the Royal United Services Institute. He is an associate Professor of Law at Brunel University regularly lecturing amongst other things, on Civil Fraud and Criminal Fraud.