SALT LAKE CITY — The end of fall semester is upon us and that means many of you lucky students are preparing to graduate. Although you probably won’t walk in your graduation ceremony until spring, the end of fall semester will mark your official graduation from your studies.

If you’re currently preparing for your next step toward building your career after graduation, revisiting your social media profiles could be a solid first step.

Although your qualifications and skills will be the main focus as potential employers review your application, your ability to fit within the workplace culture and perform as a constructive member of the team will be equally important once a hiring manager moves past his or her initial screening of your skills. One of the best indicators a hiring manager has of who you are as an individual is your social media profiles.

Even if your resume is up to snuff, the first impression you give your employer via social media could still make you lose an interview. Studies show that 42 percent of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate for their clients based on content they viewed on his or her profile.

If you’ll be entering the job market this winter, it’s time to take an audit of your social media activity. Here are four tips to help you build social profiles that will help, not hinder, your efforts to find a job in your field.

Get involved in industry communities

One of the best ways to show potential employers that you are serious about your craft is to get involved in the community surrounding it. By commenting on, sharing, and liking the posts of influencers in your industry, you show employers that you are engaged in important conversations regarding your industry and its changes.

One of the best places to start with this is Twitter. Look for influential brands and individuals who share your passion for your area of expertise.

For example, if you’re a web designer, look for and follow large design firms and well-known designers and keep up on their tweets. Not only will your engagement with these Twitter members show that you’re involved in your industry, but it will also help you keep up on important industry news that employers might bring up in your interview.

Hiring expert Helene Cavalli said in an article on Forbes, “You need to give to the social networking communities, participate in group discussions, share expertise, point someone to an article. You have to work it. While it can feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there, if you’re looking for a job, it’s not the time to be timid.”

Be strategic about your profile image

We all love a good selfie, but the unfortunate truth is that using a photo of yourself that you took with your forward facing camera doesn’t necessarily give your profile a professional vibe. If you have one, use a cool image of you outdoors or on vacation. Maybe even something candid that a friend or family member took of you at a fun event or even just at lunch.

If you’ve searched through your phone and computer and still can’t seem to find anything like this to use as your profile image in place of your favorite selfie, consider investing in a few headshots or even just ask someone you know to take a few photos of you with a decent camera and good lighting. Experts at The Ladders offer up a solid guide to taking a professional profile pic if you decide to go this route.

Although your potential employers will be more focused on the content of your social media profiles than your profile image, the photos you choose for your profile will serve as an employer’s first impression as they begin to research you. What do you want your images to say about you?

Take it easy on the opinion posts

Let your personality shine, but in a positive way. Share photos of you and your family, friends and pets doing fun things rather than long rants about your coursework or the rude person at the coffee shop.

Online public relations pros say, “Social media is one of the most common uses for the internet and it is a place where people feel comfortable to voice their opinions and share their experiences. This is extremely helpful when the opinions or experiences are positive as the audience you are targeting is generating the content itself. But there is a downside to social media and it involves the same idea but where negative opinions and experiences are shared and promoted.”

Although you should never feel pressured to pretend like you’re someone you’re not to get a job, focusing on the positive things in your life and leaving out the negative as you post on social media will help increase your chances of landing a big role should the hiring manager check your social media profiles.

Identify and follow potential places of work

Once you land an interview at a given company, follow its pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Instagram if they have them. Part of the benefit of this is showing your potential employer you care enough to follow them, but most of the benefit comes from the additional insights you’ll get from identifying potential connections you have there and looking at the content they prefer to share with their audience.

Once you’ve followed a company on a given social network, look for friends of yours who also follow this company. Do they work there? Do you know them well enough to ask for some tips on your interview? Even a small connection could do some serious good in terms of helping you identify the things you might be able to say, do or show in your interview to land the job.

If you don’t know anyone who works at the company you plan to interview for, it will still be helpful to follow its page to find out more about the workplace culture. Paying attention to things like the attire and demeanor of current employees could help you as you prepare for a successful interview with the company.

Social media should be a place where you can share experiences from your personal life with others, but it can also be a powerful tool in your efforts to further your career if you use it correctly.

Hopefully these tips will help you build a social media presence that will boost your appeal as you enter the job market this year.

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