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!

As I’ve been going through the endless amounts of information on social media and networking present on the web, a light bulb went off! Blogs! (I feel as though I may be stating the obvious). Blogging, as one of my fellow ThinkTalk interns linked to on Facebook (thanks Morgan), is an excellent way for college students to showcase their “thoughts, opinions and strengths” to potential employers.

In the article,  E-Book: Career Blogging for College Students, the author Ryan Healy mentions that using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, while helpful, are not enough to market yourself online to hiring managers and employers. He says that blogging is the way to go to really show off your skills—which by the way, writing is one of the top skills employers are looking for in new employees. In order to hone in and develop your writing skills, especially if you are not feeling too confident in them, start a blog!

Healy brings up a good point in his article that most college students are in a dire need to burst out of their small campus bubble and routine of frequenting campus establishments and really only associate themselves with other individuals from their own school. And how does one do so? Well, Healy says, “The best way to do this is through social media. The connections you make and the knowledge you gain by immersing yourself in these tools cannot be achieved offline.”

In another one of Healy’s articles, 5 Reasons Every College Student Should Start Blogging In 2009,” (I know it is already 2010, but they still apply), he gives reasons on why blogging can help you land your dream job:

1) You stand out from the crowd: Including your blog on a resume can show employers that you are willing to go above and beyond at work.

2) People find you: When putting yourself out there people will come across your blog and dream jobs can come knocking.

3) You can show your true personality: Some employers have a special set of questions they ask to determine a sense of your personality and interests’, having a blog gives them a sneak peek!

4) The connections are amazing: You can network with authors, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, executives and several other professionals through blogging – just maintain as many of those relationships as you can!

5) You grow up, quick: Creating a public forum opens doors to criticism, forcing you to re-evaluate your positions and maturely deal with negativity, preparing you for the “real world.”

And as our economy is still in a flux, making it harder for those ready to jumpstart their career to do so, students need to take advantage of every tool they can to get a job – now more than ever! So take advantage of the numerous free sites you can use to jumpstart your first blog. Write about anything—politics, fashion, technology, and your pets—anything!

Just remember, although it is your own blog, you still need to follow the same social media etiquette tips and rules that go along with other online profiles.

"Keyboard" courtesey john_a_ward via Flickr Creative Commons