UMKC’s Avanzando and Career Services held their “How Not to Cancel Your Career” event on Feb. 16, which led a conversation about online presence and social media missteps, leaving students to rethink their digital footprint.
Junior and health sciences major Annabel Colon hosted the workshop as a member of Avanzando.
“I thought it would be really beneficial to have an idea as to how social media can impact people. Nowadays, there are a lot of people sharing content about others, and even posting unsolicited pictures of individuals,” Colon said.
She explained that presenting yourself, whether online or in person, is a responsibility to be mindful of for oneself and one’s peers.
Colon noted that peak COVID-19-related quarantines affected casual social spaces. She attributes this change to the shift in students’ approach to their online presence. Instead of impulse posting, “It’s more of a retrospective, look at what I did rather than what I’m doing now.”
“Words aren’t fleeting, and they’re sometimes permanent, whether deleted or not,” Colon said, a point emphasized by UMKC speaker and career coach Youssef Mekawy.
His golden rule, “If you wouldn’t say it in an interview, don’t post it publicly,” set the theme for the workshops’ advice and activities.
The hour-long event was spent in collaboration and reflection among attendees, where students conducted their own internet searches as if they were recruiters.
“Do what recruiters do, and search your name with keywords such as university, LinkedIn and major and see what shows up. Then ask yourself, what do I need to change?” Mekawy advised.
He continues with an alternative, “There is the option to keep your social media private. Everything you put in public is going to contribute to your footprint, to who you are as a person and your personal brand overall.”
For junior mechanical engineering major Edgar Contreras, the event was a stop on his internship search, as it provided insight into recruiters’ perceptions.
“I don’t think I would ever want to come across as someone who relays too much on socials and needs to post every day,” Contreras said.
He added that the presentation served as a reminder of the networking apps available to him, such as LinkedIn, where he can focus on his profession and explore his field.
“I try to build my social media platform as much as I can,“ said Bella Delacruz, a junior studying psychology. “The same goes for LinkedIn, it provides a lot of opportunities if it’s used in the right way.”
For more information on personal branding, managing digital footprints, or additional help, students can schedule an appointment with UMKC Career Services through Handshake.
