Almost anyone applying to school has been warned about social media’s potential to ruin an admissions dream. A scandalous Instagram photo or an expletive-filled tweet from a promising candidate can lead to a rejection letter. And because admissions officers and schools are frequently on these platforms, it’s in an applicant’s best interest to be cautious when using social media to interact with a school, or even friends, experts say.
“I think you want to be smart about posting things that could be misinterpreted or maybe indicate that bringing you into the community either could present challenges within the community or on the recruiting end,” says Gene Anderson, dean of the business school at University of Miami.
Business school admissions officers, unlike those from some other graduate programs, are often looking for candidates who will make not just make good students, but also be great alumni. Applicants who have an online presence that gives the impression that they won’t have a tough time getting employed are attractive. A top priority of most MBA programs is getting students ready for work, even before they’ve taken a single class.
Admissions teams are “thinking about the recruiters, and how they’re going to respond to the people that are being admitted,” says Anderson.
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Prospective MBA students should be mindful of which platforms are best for staying in touch with admissions staff and marketing their skills, experts say.
When it comes to showing off your credentials as a candidate, it’s key to promote your strengths as an employee, experts say. LinkedIn, the popular social media site for career networking, can be one way to catch an admissions officer’s attention.
“I think having a LinkedIn presence that’s robust and is reflective of the kinds of characteristics that MBA programs are looking for these days is a really good idea,” says Anderson. Applicants can do this by joining professional groups on the site or posting articles related to the business industry they plan to join after graduation, he says. Many business schools now have LinkedIn pages, and candidates can follow these pages to learn more about the community, experts say.
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The admissions team at William and Mary University’s Mason School of Business uses Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and other sites to share information with prospective students, says Amanda Barth, the school’s director of MBA admissions.
“Social media has been a great way to connect with candidates early in their search process and then to keep them engaged throughout the admissions cycle,” she says. Admissions staff might use social media to announce when an application is live, for example, she says.
Prospective business school students should be more focused on following than friending, experts say. Sending an admissions officer or a school dean a friend request might be awkward unless applicants have a personal connection with the business school professional, but following their pages is often welcomed, experts say.
By following a school, candidates can learn about important events related to admissions and the school community. They can also use the information they learn to keep the conversation flowing during an admissions interview, says Anderson.
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Candidates should hesitate to use sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter to ask personal questions about their applications or encourage admissions officers to look at their resume. “That’s probably pushy,” says Tyler Cormney, a Harvard Business School graduate and co-founder of MBA Prep School, which helps prospective business school students sharpen their applications. Live forums on BeattheGMAT.com, a social media site for MBA applicants, may be a better space for asking general questions about the admissions process, he says.
While having a career-oriented online presence is a great way to sell yourself as a candidate and can be helpful when interacting with schools, social media shouldn’t be the last stop.
“I think a lot of students are observing what the school is doing by these platforms,” says Barth, from William and Mary. Candidates are often anonymous when on social media, and there isn’t always a lot of back-and-forth dialogue, she says. “I think students use these as a starting ground to really get a sense of what the life of a community is like rather than asking all their questions by those platforms.”
William and Mary does better at getting to know candidates beyond what can be written about online, she says.
“We want to have the kind of in-person dialogue,” Barth says. “We want people to come to campus and visit.”
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Impress, Engage B-School Recruiters on Social Media originally appeared on usnews.com