If you are anything like me, you created a LinkedIn account ages ago and have pretty much forgotten about it since. Apparently that technique of using the website isn’t very useful to you if you are seeking employment.

As 2011 approaches it’s time to evaluate those habits and mistakes you constantly made in 2010 and vow to leave them behind as you enter the New Year. Start 2011 off without those negative habits that may be holding you back, bad habits such as hindering your job search process by allowing errors to happen on your LinkedIn profile!

Hey ThinkTalkers, my name is Molly and I am a senior English Major at CUA. As part of my internship for ThinkTalk, I will be blogging my epic search for a job in the D.C. area, giving you all my take on what has worked, what has failed miserably, and hopefully giving a splinter of insight to those of you who haven’t quite reached job hunting maturation yet in your young adult life.

Hello again ThinkTalkers. I hope you’re finding time in your busy schedule to repel the overwhelming sense of senioritis and hit those job sites and your local career centers. I know the job hunt is a daunting task but in a suffering job market such as this, we grads can’t afford procrastination. If you’re following my lead and have created Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, you might be wondering what now? I’ve come across just that very problem. Here is what I’ve found from reading a couple career blogs.

First, spend just as much time on creating your LinkedIn profile as you would your facebook. And you should probably spend more time than that because employers will not be impresses with interests such a “pong” or “watching Jersey Shore.” Do not choose a picture where half of someone’s head is cut out, or your out-of-focus formal pics. Then join some groups that speak to your business interests. Don’t be afraid to join or start a conversation amongst these people. Be a pioneer and ask questions, don’t be afraid to sound under educated- just be professional.

You should make this a daily thing actually, especially if you have an internship. Ask your supervisors and co-workers about the kind of work they do and why they chose it. You want to have these conversations because it shows interest and ambition to learn. Then you’ll have a foundation for a practical business relationship. Add your co-workers to your LinkedIn network. If you get a business card from professors at school, internship or work clients, add that person to your LinkedIn network in a timely fashion. This is how you build your network of contacts.

Twitter has been quite an adjustment for me. I believed in the stigma that it was only for people who felt the world needed a play-by-play in their daily life. However, after glancing at different organizations, individual bloggers, and friends, I’m beginning to see the potential uses. But before you start tweeting about how The Shins “get you”, think about what kind of audience you would like to attract. Ideally, who are your readers? If you need help deciding what kind of followers you want, work on who you want to follow.

Search through different interest groups and keep tabs on what they’re tweeting about. It might inspire you to retweet their comments and develop into the Tweeter you’re aspiring to be. Don’t forget to join some groups that are for personal interests as well. It’s important to not only engage with the technological opportunities but to also enjoy them. Tweeting or blog posting about a great book you just read, or a fun concert you attended gives your page personality. It is what sets you apart from the millions of other tweeting, blogging, and linking graduates so don’t be shy.

Unfortunately, non-repetitive tips strictly for new or upcoming graduates are hard to find. They usually cover what I’ve mentioned in the past two posts. However, I did find one interesting tip that I will try over the next few weeks.

Paul Carpino, an Internship Coordinator from the University of Nevada Las Vegas suggested that students should be flexible. Meaning, investigate jobs that pertain to, but are not exactly your ideal career. Contact establishments such as, “Theme Parks, Office Building Concierge or Fast Service Food. Finance / Accounting / Management goes to Federal Government or Non-Profits” for open positions in your related field of interest. You never know what you could find and you’ve got nothing to lose but priceless experience.

"Twitter" courtesy respres via Flickr Creative Commons

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!

If you are anything like me, it is very likely that you are checking your Facebook more than a few times in a 30 minute span and your Twitter, Linked In and email accounts are all connected to your cell phone, which also has a direct link to your hip.

I'm a new intern here at Think Talk and for my first blog I figured I would write about my obsession with social media and how this obsession has become widely accepted and used by students, professors and career professionals alike. Okay, maybe I have been taking it a little too far ever since I downloaded the new Facebook app to my phone, but these days it has become nearly impossible for a company or business to survive without implementing and encouraging the use of social media. Before college, accessing Facebook during class was an absolute taboo. In fact, my high school in Maryland blocked all social networking sites from every campus computer. Today, however, many of my college classes at the University of Maryland actually praise and even require the use of social media and networking sites.

I believe adding social networking know-how and tech-savvy skills to my resume keeps me ahead of the game. Several of my college professors in the communication and public relations field hold a series of lectures based solely on social media. My professors encourage learning about different methods and platforms of communication to effectively send a message across while still being able to keep up with today's fast-paced and growing world.

In an article I just read from the University of New Hampshire (ThinkTalk school!), a student writer interviewed a professor teaching a new course covering all aspects of social media. Professor Chuck Martin of UNH is not only an accomplished author of eight different business books, but he is also the third most followed marketing professor on all of Twitter. In my eyes, that means he has made it big and he probably has a few words of wisdom to give to students in the field of marketing and communication.

“Social media is really, really big in business right now,” said Martin. “Even if the business doesn’t want to do anything in social media they have to because their clients and customers are connecting in these ways.”

Because social media is impacting all aspects of business and all kinds of business, said Martin, anybody in marketing needs to understand social media.

They don’t need to like it, but understand it,” said Martin.

So businesses have no choice but to keep up with social media to connect with clients, even if they cringe at the thought of managing a profile or Twitter account to tweet their daily activities. While it sounds silly, I agree with Martin in that using social media to promote and establish a brand for yourself or your business can go a long way. Take Google, for example; even though they are one of the largest companies right now in the world of business and do not need much more promotion, they know all too well not to neglect the importance of social media. With over thirty separate Twitter accounts based on region, cultures, types of technology and other areas, Google manages to continue to stay on top -- connecting the company to the world and beyond.

If even Google has to do it, then I figure I should, too. Stay tuned for my next post as I start exploring how social media can help me (and you) find a job.

Allison Doyle relays some interesting news over at her About.com Job Search blog about the recent integration of SimplyHired and LinkedIn.

It's always important to tap your connections when job searching and job search engine SimplyHired.com is going social and making it easy to connect. Job seekers can now connect directly from a SimplyHired.com job listing to their LinkedIn network to find out if they have contacts a company.

This really helps simplify (which Simply Hired always does really well) what had been a two step process. Instead of searching for jobs, then going to LinkedIn to see who you know at the organization, you can save a few clicks and go right to LinkedIn from Simply Hired. Clicking on the "Who Do I Know" button will give you an in-line view of your connections without having to leave Simply Hired.

To me, one of the strengths of LinkedIn isn't necessarily as a way to keep in touch with industry connections, but rather to see who you know at companies that are hiring. So, in keeping with that, this seems like a really big move for SimplyHired ... and thus, for you. But honestly, I think this would work better both ways - that is, while browsing through your connections on LinkedIn, it would be highly useful to easily see what jobs at SimplyHired your connection's organization is hiring for.

But nonetheless, this is great news to simplify your job hunt. One minor problem is that you as a typical college student probably aren't on LinkedIn yet. So what are you waiting for?