On Oct. 22, Ferris State alumni Luke Wyckoff presented “Your Digital Footprint” to the college of business students about the importance of finding their digital footprints.
Bulldogs Mean Business were the sponsors of the presentation. Wyckoff is the founder of Wyckoff Consulting and four other companies including, Z3 Talent, Social Media Energy, Knowing Ai and Amaze Health. The presentation was held at the Interdisciplinary Resource Center in room 120, with 67 members in attendance.
Wyckoff presented in hopes of students taking away that their digital footprint can help them find success in their futures.
“I wanted the students at Ferris to know that the content they put out on the internet in terms of social media becomes how the rest of the world defines them,” Wyckoff said. “Employers, at a rapid pace, are conducting digital background checks as part of their hiring process, and students today can shape how others view them. Your digital reputation is how the rest of the world sees you. Do the right things today that will set you up for success in the future.”
Wyckoff stated that it was a true honor to be back on campus and to have presented to everyone. It was the first time he had entered the IRC since 1993.
Wyckoff shared the monthly active users for each social media platform. YouTube was first with 2.5 billion, Instagram was second with 2 billion and TikTok was third with 1.5 billion. In addition, Wyckoff stated that, on average, Americans spend 4.37 hours on their phones per day.
Marketing senior Ivabelle Wilhelm who is an intern for Wyckoff, gave her reasoning as to why the presentation was important to her life and her major.
“I have a unique name, so my digital footprint is very easy to track,” Wilhelm said. “I think it’s important to enjoy your social media, but also keep in mind that what you do on there is many people’s first impression of you. It impacts your professional and personal life.
One story Wyckoff told during his presentation was when he had a client who was an NBA player, and the client lost a 20 million dollar contract due to a posted tweet. That story made Wilhelm think: do you want everyone you will ever meet to know you are saying this?
Another part of the presentation that stuck out to Wilhelm was the “Digital Audit” Wyckoff suggested, which was also a three-adjective project. The first step was for people to look over their last 30 social media posts. The second step was to figure out what three adjectives people wanted to see tied to their name. Wyckoff’s lesson with this was to outsource social media.
Wyckoff answered what students could do. He advised the room to Google themselves, to adjust who can see everyone’s information and to clean up bad information.
The Director of Internship Programs Jennifer Njenga Kinuthia explained the importance of why students should attend the monthly events and how they can prepare them for success in the future.
“Bulldogs Means Business is a monthly professional development series co-sponsored by the College of Business and a number of [resident student organization]’s including the Accounting Association,” Njenga Kinuthia said. “Each month they have speakers, panels or workshops to help prepare students for their careers. Attending this monthly series is a great way for students to connect with and learn from professionals and become career-ready.”
Njenga Kinuthia stated that November’s Bulldog Means Business event will be on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. in BUS 111 and will feature a young alumni panel of recent college of business graduates that will share their experience and tips for transitioning to their professional careers.
For more information regarding Bulldogs Mean Business, visit their website and stay up-to-date with the campus event calendar.