A Q&A with a UCIPT Postdoctoral Researcher
Are there ways that a college student can earn money on a part-time basis using Twitter? Are there scams that students should be aware of?
Yes, there are ways that students can earn money by using Twitter. One of the first steps is to build up a base of followers. Once you have a good number of followers, you can then promote products and services. Some businesses allow users to promote “daily deals” and other basic marketing campaigns that fit well with a user’s followers. Alternatively, it’s possible to charge other users to build their Twitter presence. You can also consider making Twitter-related tutorials on sites like YouTube. With ads, you can monetize YouTube content based on your Twitter expertise. Students should be aware of scams, however, some of which are detailed here.
What tools exist on Twitter to help a college student find an internship?
Twitter enables people to connect directly with employees of companies and organizations that they admire. This can be an effective networking strategy or even a way to find an internship. Here are some tips to get the most out of a Twitter internship hunt:
- Spruce up your profile. This can be a great way to brand yourself and help recruiters recognize who you are.
- Start following and strike up a conversation. Once you build up a personal conversation with a recruiter or employee, it is easier to direct message them to ask about connecting outside of Twitter or in person.
- Make lists to narrow in on interesting companies.
- You can use Twitter’s built-in search bar for job openings: type in a location, “hiring,” and seniority level (like “entry-level” or “director”), and you’ll likely see tweets about open positions in your desired area. There are also job search engines specifically for Twitter, like com, which allows users to filter jobs by location, industry, and keywords.
You can read more in-depth about these tips here.
Are there sentiment analysis tools that can enable a student to determine if a workplace would be the right fit for him or her?
There are several sentiment analysis tools available on the Internet. Most of these tools have been applied to the field of marketing, but I believe they can be adapted to analyze any workplace environment. However, I think it is also important for students to talk to people that are already working at a company to get an idea if the workplace is the right fit for them.
Based on your experience as a researcher, which companies and organizations offer the most and/or least stressful places for a UCLA student to go to be an intern right now?
It’s challenging to determine whether a company is a stressful place for a particular student because every student is different. Moreover, there are many factors that determine whether a workplace is stressful, and not all stressors are bad. Some stressors (eustress) can help students develop new skill sets. I always encourage students to do their research (e.g., speak with previous interns and/or read online review websites about the company) before accepting an internship position.
How does UCLA equip its students to manage online stress versus other universities?
UCLA offers both in-person and virtual resources to help students manage their stress. Almost all universities have a wellness program to help students cope with their stress. Stress related to social media use has grown over the past decade. Currently, there are many studies trying to determine the causes of online stress and also find effective coping strategies.