Interns- How NOT to get hired

I recently posted an opening for a virtual internship on Lauren Berger's popular site Intern Queen. I have been getting some great applications so far. I am most impressed with how far resumes have come. Almost all of these applicants have their own personal web sites with links to download their work in word or PDF form as well as a compilation of their online portfolio and writing clips.  Very impressive! Now.. the down side.  Social media is great ( I run a social media agency, so I should think so!) but it is not so great if you use it without caution. Even though I am a "young" boss from the social media revolution, that does not mean it is ok to use slang or profanity in your tweets, blog or in anything you are writing. If I (as a young boss) don't think its cool, I don't think a boss from an older generation and different work mentality would appreciate it either. Also, don't post about what your interviewer asks you during the interview, or what they email  you back! Some things are meant to be kept personal, and this could blow your chance at getting the job. Here's what to do to ensure that you won't get hired.

1. Send writing samples with profanity or slang

2. Send links to your Twitter page and then have profanity on it (at least delete this before sending over the links to a potential boss)

3. Tweet about what the interviewer asked you publicly during your interview (on Twitter) and tweet if you haven't heard back from the interviewer yet (This puts added pressure on the interviewer to write back on your time schedule, NOT theirs) This also shares public interview questions which are supposed to be kept privately. Another reason this is a bad idea? Because it upsets people who may not have heard back from the person hiring before you

Moral: Think before you tweet, and clean up your writing samples/social media profiles before applying for a job. No one wants to read profanity who may be hiring you- unless they are "into" that type of thing. If you are applying for a corporate job, chances are they aren't. While you may be "expressing" yourself, you are also making it much harder on yourself for an interviewer to overlook these things. Make social media work for you, NOT against you!

Interns & Social Media- What NOT to post on Twitter

While it is great to work with interns that are social media savvy, you also need to pay close attention to their streams.  I encounter so many companies who specialize in reputation management, yet when it comes to what their interns are writing, they have no idea. Interns, if you are going to post about your experience, try to make your postings positive while you are there, and even after. Your employer will 9 out of 10 times go back through your Twitter stream to read what you have written. Here is what NOT to post:

1) Last day of my #internship. Can't wait! Freedom
2) Working around the clock.
3) Can't wait until 5 pm arrives

While this may look "cool" to your friends, it does not look "cool" to your employers who are managing and investing time into training you.  These messages can also very easily be mis-interpreted. For example, you may be excited that your internship is ending and you have some free time left in the summer, but to your employer, it looks like you hated the internship the entire time.  Also, employers will look at the time stamps. They DO NOT want to see that you are tweeting personal posts while you are supposed to be working for them during office hours. While these may seem like minor details, they can make or break if you get asked back again next summer..