Hey everyone! My name is Monica Karkhanis and I am currently a sophomore communication major with a focus in public relations at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is my first semester as an intern for Think Talk and I am really excited to blog about social media and how it can help your career. Find me on Twitter and be sure to continue following ThinkTalk!

Generation Y (that’s us!) can capitalize on knowledge of social media in jobs and internships—finally all those hours on Facebook and accomplishing staying within the 140-charater tweet limit is paying off. According to a blog written by Sarah Amandolare for Finding Dulcinea, students savvy in social media can benefit from their knowledge in the workplace. Known as a reverse apprenticeship, companies are encouraging and assigning their junior staff members to serve as social media guides to senior employees. These apprenticeships as social media guides can consist of formal programs or informal sit-downs among staff members and employees.

Andrew Robertson, CEO of advertising agency BBDO Worldwide, mentions that people normally think about mentoring programs or internships for younger employees. However, he sees things differently. Robertson says in order for his company to remain competitive he turns to younger employees to mentor the older ones, thus “breaking down the corporate hierarchies” as younger employees begin teaching their seniors about new technologies.

New intern positions are opening up at businesses and organizations in need of social media makeovers. These positions are often called social media interns or experts. For more, check out this video of Andrew Robertson discussing this new trend!