5 Tips for Professionals to Get the Most Out of Social Media

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Social media is here to stay and that’s a good thing for professionals. You’ll find that social media can be very beneficial, whether you’re looking for work or just trying to promote your business.

1. Network, Network, Network

Everyone knows that getting a job is often due to networking. However, most people think of networking as something you do face to face. Social media has removed all barriers and allows you to meet people anywhere in the world. That’s great news if you want to get a job somewhere outside your current city.

2. Gain Skills and Reputation

Many companies appreciate an employee who can help further the company image online. If you build your social media skills, you will be building your value.

LinkedIn is a good place to network, but it is also useful in gaining recommendations from people you have worked with. The advantage here is that you don’t have to have a steady job for someone to recommend you or validate your skills. If you did a website for a local company, that company can let people know what a great job you did. Future employers can see these recommendations and take them into consideration when making a hiring decision.

3. Build Your Brand

As a professional, your brand is yourself. If you want to make sure you end up with excellent employment options, it’s a good idea to really work on branding yourself online. Start with a website. You can find information on various hosting companies on sites like Virtual Hosting to help you choose the right option for your site. Grab your name as a domain name and set up a basic, professional looking site.

Once your website or blog is up, set up social media profiles and link them back to your site. When someone searches for you online, your site should come up first in the search results. A whopping 37% of employers check out potential employees online before hiring, so make sure what they find is good.

4. Stay Consistent

It might be tempting to boost your resume on LinkedIn. It can get you into trouble though. If you’re claiming you have a PhD on one site and a GED on another, keep in mind that future employers could easily find this information. Lying about your credentials doesn’t look good and could cost you the job.

5. Find the Perfect Job

You may have a specific job in mind, or you may simply be looking for options. Either way, social media can be the key to finding that perfect job.

Applying for a job when you already know everything about the company, thanks to following the business online, will give you a leg up. Beating out the competition could be as simple as being able to respond to an interview question about the company. You may also see job openings sooner than other applicants if you are following companies you want to work for.

Social media has many benefits. If you want to find a great job in this economy, you need to be one step ahead of the competition. LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ can all help you get ahead and land that job.

1 Comment

  1. In general, successful use of social media requires an understanding of its strengths, while acknowledging both its limitations and the need to invest sufficient time and effort. “It’s just one of many communications channels. It’s not the answer to everything and charities need to make sure they make the most of their owned channels, such as websites and supporter databases

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