This post was updated to bring you the most up-to-date tips, October 2020.

More employers than ever are using video to interview candidates from across the country. Students and job seekers are tweeting links to their portfolios to employers. The modern digital world is moving fast, and it’s changing the rules for employers and job seekers. The same goes for those who give career advice to professional and student job seekers, too.

Whether it’s news, the latest music video or an answer to a burning question, most of today’s information is accessed online. People search for answers 5.8 billion times each day on Google alone.

It seems fit that career counselors should also hang out in this space to help do what they do best — advise others. One of the best ways to do this is to use blogs and social media to build a personal brand and become online thought leaders.

Use your online presence to relate to those whom you advise. Chances are, they are on social media trying to establish a following, too. If not, they may need to get out there for the sake of networking for a career.

Here are some tips for building your personal brand through today’s online tools:

(This post was updated on 6/22/2020)

Using alumni networks is an ideal starting point for any college student’s career.

Whether you’re a professor, adviser, or career counselor, you serve as an excellent resource for your students when it comes to networking. Because of your position, you have access to a vast network of alumni who can help your current students advance their careers.

Alumni networks serve as a crucial pool of advice and career opportunities for college students. According to a 2020 Jobvite survey, 45% of job seekers found out about job openings through friends, and 31% found out through their professional networks. Networking is an excellent way for college students to break into their industries. Most college students are searching for ways to network into internships and jobs; and alumni can serve as the first stepping stone.

When helping students connect with alumni, it’s important to be strategic. Ideally, you should connect your current students with students you have a good relationship with. This way, you serve as a mutual connection between the student and alum, and you avoid putting your current student in an awkward situation. 

To help students tap into alumni networks, consider these ideas for connecting current and past students:

Career counselors, you’re probably wondering, “How can a newsfeed of gifs and memes possibly make me better at giving career advice?” Well, if you use your professional blog that way, it probably won’t.

Sixty percent of businesses use a business or company blog to communicate with the information-seekers of the world, and these blogs receive 528,000,000 page views each month. That’s a lot of exposure for a brand. Why aren’t all career counselors doing the same?

Blogging offers professionals and students a unique way to network with others on a global scale. Here are a few reasons you should blog to connect with your job-seeking audience:

This post was updated in September 2022

As a member of the career services center, you have the unique opportunity to mold students into solid working professionals. You have the capacity to create the leaders of tomorrow. You have it in your hands to be a mentor to those with little direction.

But what key strategies do you need to implement so your students are better than ever, especially in a constantly shifting market?

While on a mission to guide your students into professionals who are not only good at their jobs but who are also engaged, creative thinkers, updating your strategy can upgrade the value and effectiveness of your career center.

Check out the strategies below to see how you can optimize student success in your career services center: