Tag Archives: social media

Social Media In Your Job Search

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Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, but it also can be a useful tool in your job search. Employers are using social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to both promote their organizations and connect with potential job candidates.

While social media can help you research employers (critical to your job-search success), be sure to use it more actively—as a way to connect with potential employers. By following a few basic tips, you can use social media to get in front of hiring managers.

Get Noticed

There are a few key points to keep in mind when using social media as a job-search tool.

Create a Profile That Gives a Positive Impression of You Think of it as your online resume: What do you want it to say about you? Hiring managers can get a stronger sense of who you are, and if you’re a potentially good fit for their company, through your profile.

Be Aware of the Keywords You Include in Your Profile This is particularly true for sites focused on professional networking, such as LinkedIn. Many employers do keyword searches to find profiles that contain the skill sets they’re seeking in potential hires.

Don’t Include Photos, Comments, or Information You Wouldn’t Want a Potential Employer to See

Don’t Mix Personal With Professional The social media you use in your job search has to present you as a potential employee—not as a friend. Follow the rules for writing a resume.

Make Sure Your Profile Is Error-Free You wouldn’t offer up a resume rife with misspellings, would you?

Choose Appropriate Contact Information Your e-mail address or Twitter handle should be professional—a simple variation on your name, perhaps—rather than suggestive or offensive.

Connect Many organizations have embraced social media as an extension of their hiring practices, and provide information that you can use to research the organization and connect with hiring managers and recruiters.

    • Check your college/university’s social media groups: Many times, employers join such groups.
    • Check social media groups that are focused around your field of interest or career.
    • Search for the social media pages, profiles, and videos of organizations that interest you. Many organizations post job descriptions, information about salaries, and more.
    • Ask questions. Even something as broad as “Is anyone hiring in [industry]?” may bring responses, and asking questions about a specific organization—“What’s it like to work at Company X?” can give you insight into the organization and its culture.

Stay Connected Keep in touch with recruiters or other decision makers you may interact with in cyberspace.

There may not be an available opportunity at their organization right now, but that could change, and you want to be considered when it does.

Finally, in addition to maintaining your network, use social media tobuild your network. Don’t just establish a social media presence—work it. Reach out. Interact. You will get out of social media what you put into it.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers

Social Media In Your Job Search

Posted on by

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, but it also can be a useful tool in your job search. Employers are using social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to both promote their organizations and connect with potential job candidates.

While social media can help you research employers (critical to your job-search success), be sure to use it more actively—as a way to connect with potential employers. By following a few basic tips, you can use social media to get in front of hiring managers.

Get Noticed

There are a few key points to keep in mind when using social media as a job-search tool.

Create a Profile That Gives a Positive Impression of You Think of it as your online resume: What do you want it to say about you? Hiring managers can get a stronger sense of who you are, and if you’re a potentially good fit for their company, through your profile.

Be Aware of the Keywords You Include in Your Profile This is particularly true for sites focused on professional networking, such as LinkedIn. Many employers do keyword searches to find profiles that contain the skill sets they’re seeking in potential hires.

Don’t Include Photos, Comments, or Information You Wouldn’t Want a Potential Employer to See

Don’t Mix Personal With Professional The social media you use in your job search has to present you as a potential employee—not as a friend. Follow the rules for writing a resume.

Make Sure Your Profile Is Error-Free You wouldn’t offer up a resume rife with misspellings, would you?

Choose Appropriate Contact Information Your e-mail address or Twitter handle should be professional—a simple variation on your name, perhaps—rather than suggestive or offensive.

Connect Many organizations have embraced social media as an extension of their hiring practices, and provide information that you can use to research the organization and connect with hiring managers and recruiters.

    • Check your college/university’s social media groups: Many times, employers join such groups.
    • Check social media groups that are focused around your field of interest or career.
    • Search for the social media pages, profiles, and videos of organizations that interest you. Many organizations post job descriptions, information about salaries, and more.
    • Ask questions. Even something as broad as “Is anyone hiring in [industry]?” may bring responses, and asking questions about a specific organization—“What’s it like to work at Company X?” can give you insight into the organization and its culture.

Stay Connected Keep in touch with recruiters or other decision makers you may interact with in cyberspace.

There may not be an available opportunity at their organization right now, but that could change, and you want to be considered when it does.

Finally, in addition to maintaining your network, use social media tobuild your network. Don’t just establish a social media presence—work it. Reach out. Interact. You will get out of social media what you put into it.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers

Get Involved with Student Life @ NOVA!

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Whether you are taking classes’ on-campus, online or a little bit of both, we encourage you to stay engaged during your educational experience at NOVA! This is where Student Life comes in!

What is Student Life?

The Office of Student Life at NOVA assists students in building community and your connection with the college outside of the classroom. This is done by facilitating virtual and in-person extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities that support focus areas such as:

  • Academic Success
  • Health/Wellness
  • Civic Engagement
  • Diversity/ Inclusion
  • Leadership Development

How to we achieve this goal?

Each NOVA campus (and NOVA Online) has a Student Life office that organizes engagement opportunities for students.  This staff can be reached at any time to help advise you get involved at NOVA based on your educational and personal interests .

Watch this short video to learn more about how to get involved, the NOVA way!

How can I stay updated about Student Life events at the college?

  1. NOVA Student Life has a college-wide events calendar that you can access at anytime to learn more about upcoming events. You can also access NOVA Online’s events calendar for virtual student engagement opportunities

2) Get connected with our Virtual Student Union.  This is an engagement hub where NOVA Online students have access to create a profile, join discussion forums and connect with other students.

3) Social Media: NOVA Online Student Life is on social media! Follow NOVA Online on Facebook and Twitter to gain some great student success tips as an online student and engage in fun activities.

Follow this NOVA Online blog each week to learn more about more specific ways to get involved in Student Life while taking online classes with NOVA Online! contact elistulife@nvcc.edu for questions or more information.

Summer Wellness Series: Physical Wellness

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To kick off our summer wellness series, we wanted to start with the topic of physical wellness. Often times the first thing we think of in connection to physical wellness is nutrition and exercise. Although these are very important, we also want to make sure we touch on other factors that can help or hinder you to feel your best self.

Physical Activity:

Our bodies are made to be active so it is important to keep them in the best state that we can. Why? There are SO MANY benefits to physical activity that directly relate tour overall health! Physical activity and exercise can help you sleep better, manage stress, and is a very strong predictor to reduce risks of health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. The American Heart Association outlines these and many more here: Physical activity improves quality of life.  

Nutrition:

Eating well is also an important aspect of physical wellness.  Many of us have heard the saying “You are what you eat,” and while it is not to be taken literally, there is truth to this statement. What we put into our bodies provides us with the energy we use each day, so we want to be mindful that what we are using to fuel our bodies is making us feel our best! The USDA and their MyPlate guidelines give a great overview of the major food group and how they contribute to a healthy diet.

Here are some other areas of physical wellness that you might not think of right way that you should also consider with physical wellness:

Sleep:

We all at one time or another have felt like we have not gotten enough sleep. It is not always easy or realistic to get a full night sleep every night, but surprisingly the effects of sleep deprivation can effect your body both short and long term in your life. Making a point to go to bed an extra hour earlier a few times a week can give your body that extra time to recharge and help you feel your best.

Routine Medical Check:

A great way to be proactive with your health is to stay on track with any routine medical examinations. This includes a routine physical/dental exams as well as other procedures that might be suggested based on your age or family history. The CDC provides some great resources on how to prepare for your next routine exam so you can make the most of your time with your doctor or physician.

So now that we have introduced some of these areas of physical wellness, we want to keep the conversation going! Visit our Virtual Student Union and click on the Summer Wellness Series discussion forum to dive into this topic more!  We will explore goal setting, sharing experiences with other students and finding resources to help you improve or maintain your physical health!

How are you staying active this summer? Let us know know on Twitter using the hashtag #commit2fit

Student Life Summer Wellness Series

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vitality word cloud on blackboardLooking for ways to get involved and connect with your peers while taking summer classes? Join NOVA Online Student Life for our Summer Wellness Series! You might be asking yourself, what do we mean when we say “wellness”. Wellness can be seen as any self-directed habits of well-being that attribute to your overall quality of life. Within our series this summer, we will be highlighting six different dimensions of wellness that can affect you as a college student .

By participating in this Summer Wellness series, you will be able to:

-Identify how concepts of health are connected to issues of academic success, diversity, the environment, and lifelong wellbeing.

– Recognize awareness that health involves the holistic balance and integration of physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual, aspects of oneself.

-Define personal health values and understand these values within the context of a larger healthy society.

– Actively apply health decisions by recognizing how personal choices and habits play a role.

Here is some more information about the six areas that we will discuss:

Physical Wellness – This area emphasizes maintaining a healthy body. This includes upholding an active lifestyle, mindfulness of your eating habits, sleeping, managing stress, and the importance of preventative medical care.  Maintaining a healthy body is a key component to a long healthy life.

Intellectual Wellness – Staying curious and engaged in learning new things. Being a lifelong learner won’t just make you a well-rounded individual, it will make you healthier. Engage in creative and mentally stimulating activities. Read for pleasure, be aware of social and political issues, or join a club or group that focuses on enhancing intellectual interests.

Social Wellness – This area can include developing healthy relationships. Having a strong support network that can give you guidance when you are stressed or need stress relief. Nurturing pro-active and reactive habits that can aid in the development of healthy communication (online and in-person) and boundary development.

Financial Wellness – Understanding how to live within your financial means. Planning for future financial health. Learning to think short and long-term in order to manage your resources is essential for a healthy financial experience including learning to be a good consumer.

Spiritual /Emotional Wellness – College is stressful and students can often feel overwhelmed. Maintaining a healthy emotional and spiritual  life is important to overall health. This can include managing your stress level, staying on top of school work and knowing when to ask for help. Exploring spirituality can include  a religious or faith community, meditation, being in the outdoors, spending time exploring yourself with reflection.

Cultural /Environmental Wellness – Taking care of your  personal surroundings. Actively working to serve your environments can improve your health and the health of the people around you.

Through sharing resources, discussion with peers and personal reflection, you can prevent future health problems and consequences by making healthier choices a habit and part of your everyday life.

How can you participate?

1) Follow this blog,  every Wednesday this summer for our wellness posts! Review the articles, videos, and resources that we will post each week and share your thoughts and comments.

2) Join in our weekly discussions!  Visit our Virtual Student Union and find our Summer Wellness Series discussion forum.  Share some of your own wellness experiences and connect with peers

3) Follow us on Social Media! Follow us @NOVA Online on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on new topics events and fun virtual wellness activities throughout the summer.

For more information, contact elistulife@nvcc.edu

This week at NOVA Online

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Photo of Search Key on ComputerAccess NOVAConnect to identify your fall priority registration date. Fall open registration for all students begins on May 5. Summer registration is currently open for all students. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Wednesday – Conducting a Job Search – Virtual – 12:15 – 1pm. This 45 minute webinar will focus on basic strategies for conducting a job search. Topics covered will include creating a plan, identifying sources of job leads, and resume, cover letter, and interview basics. Registration is required.

Wednesday – NOVA Online Birthday Celebration – WO – 1-3pm. The Extended Learning Institute is turning 40! NOVA Online will be visiting all six campuses and invite students to join us in celebrating 40 years of online learning at NOVA! This week we will be at the Woodbridge campus. Come by and enjoy a cupcake to help us celebrate! Use #HappyBirthdayNOVA Online on Twitter to share your pictures!

Thursday – NOVA Online Book Club. Join NOVA Online’s Book Club! This semester we will read “How I Live Now” by Meg Rosoff. After you sign up, you will gain access to the book club’s discussion board. We will end the book club with a live viewing of the movie adaptation this Thursday! Sign up today and watch the movie with us! Register here.

Thursday – How to Prepare for Finals Webinar – 1:00 – 1:30 pm. This 30 min live session will focus on topics and strategies to help ease anxiety and help you study smart such as: early preparation, planning your approach and taking the exam. Sign up now and promote your success! Register here.

All Week – Money Smart Week – Do you know where your money is going each week? Do you have a financial plan? This week we will feature posts around making smart money choices. Do you have any questions about using financial aid? Use the Student Support Center to get your questions answered.

Resource of the Week – Review this list of the 50 best apps for surviving finals from OnlineUniversities.com. What study apps are your favorite? What helps get your through studying for finals? Share with us!

This week at NOVA Online

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ThinkstockPhotos-179335356Summer registration is currently open for all students and fall priority registration opens this week. Access NOVAConnect to identify your fall priority registration date. Fall open registration for all students begins on May 5. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

All Week- Pedometer Challenge. Participate in the NOVA Online Pedometer Challenge through our Health and Wellness Interest Group! Compete and share experiences with other students by tracking your average daily steps for a month as well as create personal health and wellness goals. Request to join the Google Community to connect with fellow NOVA Online students. Any questions – email NOVA OnlineStuLife@nvcc.edu.

All Week- NOVA Online Book Club. Join NOVA Online’s Book Club! This semester we will read “How I Live Now” by Meg Rosoff. After you sign up, you will gain access to the book club’s discussion board. We will end the book club with a live viewing of the movie adaptation! So, don’t wait and sign up today! Register here.

Wednesday – Spring Fling & NOVA Online Birthday Celebration – MA – 11-2pm. The Extended Learning Institute is turning 40! NOVA Online will be visiting all six campuses and invite students to join us in celebrating 40 years of online learning at NOVA! This week we will be at Manassas and joining the Spring Fling Festivities! Stop by and learn more about NOVA Online!

Resource of the Week – Stress Management and Coping Skills Support Group – Access Hope is offering free group counseling services for students at the Alexandria campus. The group is open to all NOVA students. Contact Ms. Grace Gray at ggray@thewomenscenter.org for more information.

SAAM KICK OFF!

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ThinkstockPhotos-180121101April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)! The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it.  Sexual violence is a major public health, human rights and social justice issue. We need everyone’s help to end it. The NOVA Community can help make a difference!

NOVA Sexual Assault Services (SAS) would like you to get involved during SAAM! NOVA SAS is hosting several events this month:

April 6th – April 10th: Red Flag Campaign Week (Annandale Campus)

April 9th: Red Flag Info Table (Annandale Campus – CF Quad)

April 9th: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes (Annandale Campus – CF Quad)

April 13th – April 17th: Red Flag Campaign Week (Medical Education Campus)

April 14th: Jackson Katz: “Violence Against Women-it’s a men’s issue” Roundtable (Alexandria Campus – Women’s Center)

April 16th: Red Flag Info Table (Medical Education Campus – 1st Floor)

April 16th: Student Government Association (SGA) Benefit Concert   (Annandale Campus – Ernst Theater)

April 20th – April 24th:  Red Flag Campaign Week (Loudoun Campus)

April 21st: Red Flag Info Table (Loudoun Campus – Front of LR)

April 21st: Take Back the Night (Loudoun Campus – Side entrance of LW)

April 28th: Bystander Intervention Roundtable (Alexandria Campus – Women’s Center)

April 29th: Denim Day (Annandale Campus – CF Quad)

If you would like more information regarding these events, please contact Angela Acosta at aacosta@nvcc.edu or 703-323-2406 or like us on Facebook

If you are in need of services, please contact NOVA SAS at nova.sas@nvcc.edu or text/call 703-338-0834 (24 hours / 7 days a week).

-Written by: Angela Acosta, Sexual Assault Services (SAS) Outreach Specialist, NOVACares Office 

Social Media in Your Job Search

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social media 2Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, but it also can be a useful tool in your job search. Employers are using social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to both promote their organizations and connect with potential job candidates.

While social media can help you research employers (critical to your job-search success), be sure to use it more actively—as a way to connect with potential employers. By following a few basic tips, you can use social media to get in front of hiring managers.

Get Noticed

There are a few key points to keep in mind when using social media as a job-search tool.

Create a Profile That Gives a Positive Impression of You Think of it as your online resume: What do you want it to say about you? Hiring managers can get a stronger sense of who you are, and if you’re a potentially good fit for their company, through your profile.

Be Aware of the Keywords You Include in Your Profile This is particularly true for sites focused on professional networking, such as LinkedIn. Many employers do keyword searches to find profiles that contain the skill sets they’re seeking in potential hires.

Don’t Include Photos, Comments, or Information You Wouldn’t Want a Potential Employer to See

Don’t Mix Personal With Professional The social media you use in your job search has to present you as a potential employee—not as a friend. Follow the rules for writing a resume.

Make Sure Your Profile Is Error-Free You wouldn’t offer up a resume rife with misspellings, would you?

Choose Appropriate Contact Information Your e-mail address or Twitter handle should be professional—a simple variation on your name, perhaps—rather than suggestive or offensive.

Connect Many organizations have embraced social media as an extension of their hiring practices, and provide information that you can use to research the organization and connect with hiring managers and recruiters.

    • Check your college/university’s social media groups: Many times, employers join such groups.
    • Check social media groups that are focused around your field of interest or career.
    • Search for the social media pages, profiles, and videos of organizations that interest you. Many organizations post job descriptions, information about salaries, and more.
    • Ask questions. Even something as broad as “Is anyone hiring in [industry]?” may bring responses, and asking questions about a specific organization—“What’s it like to work at Company X?” can give you insight into the organization and its culture.

Stay Connected Keep in touch with recruiters or other decision makers you may interact with in cyberspace.

There may not be an available opportunity at their organization right now, but that could change, and you want to be considered when it does.

Finally, in addition to maintaining your network, use social media to build your network. Don’t just establish a social media presence—work it. Reach out. Interact. You will get out of social media what you put into it.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers

ToBeMe@NOVA: First Generation College Students Resources

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I would like to thank all those students that shared their experience and let us get a glimpse of what it is like to be a First Time Generation College Student at NOVA. Below you will find tips and resources for students and faculty to help enhance the experience of First Time Generation College Students at NOVA.

For Students:

Be an advocate for yourself. Being the first to attend college, you may have to learn about college life on your own. Much of your success will depend on the initiative you take to get things done. You will have to seek out the information you need in many instances and be prepared to do the necessary follow through to get what you need accomplished.

Ask questions and follow through. Don’t be intimidated by what you do not know and ask questions whenever you are unsure. Learning to ask the right questions is an invaluable skill that will serve you well throughout your matriculation at NOVA and beyond and you can start practicing it now.

Use your student support services. You don’t have to stumble through college making mistakes as you go simply because you don’t know where to start. You have an entire support staff here to guide you. If you have questions about where to begin, are uncertain who to talk to about a specific matter, reach out to our NOVA Online Student Success Team at 703-764-5076 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu who can point you in the right direction. If you would like to get information on campus, click here to learn the resources available at the student services center at your nearest campus.

Learn from the experiences of others. Find a mentor, friend, family member, etc. that can help coach you through what adjusting to college life is really like and give you information on what to expect. Getting the perspective of another student or former student can offer you an outlook that talking to a staff member cannot always provide.

For Faculty:

Be mindful of students balancing multiple responsibilities. Many students pay for school out of pocket and have to work full-time or part-time jobs to fund their education. It is always helpful to have instructors that understand the importance and demand of working while in school and that are flexible with students, when appropriate. Sometimes simply communicating that you acknowledge and respect their other responsibilities can be enough to help students feel more comfortable to reach out when mitigating circumstances arise.

Keep lines of communication open with students. Invite students to reach out to you with any questions they may have. You can be a great resource for your students and, often, a great referral source.

Acknowledge that this is a very diverse group of students. These students come from families that may not have college degrees but they may be entrepreneurs, career military, skilled tradesmen, or other professionals that worked their way up without a degree. So often it seems that the term “first generation” is used broad based to mean students who have lots of risks to success. There are certainly students on all parts of the spectrum and faculty and staff should try to be mindful not to make assumptions about students and get to know them as individuals. Each student comes with their own experiences that make them unique and valuable.

If you would like more resources, please reach out to the NOVA Online Success Team at 703-764-5076 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu.

-Jennifer, NOVA Online Student Success Coach