The Evolution of Social Media - CareerAlley

The Evolution of Social Media - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. These days, social media is King. Everyone including your grandfather has a Facebook account, but not everyone is using it as efficiently as they could be. Until recently, social media accounts have been used solely for updating your friends on what youre doing, where youve been and even what you ate for dinner, but with the recent surge of LinkedIn users social media is becoming a legitimate tool for marketing yourself to potential employers. Today, it is common for employers to check the Facebook and Twitter accounts of perspective employees. It is a way to see what kind of a person you are and give an idea of what kind of employee you would be. So lets discuss how social media can make YOU a more attractive product for any business or organization. First, lets clarify a few things using social media as a job search resource can be an amazing thing, but only if you can balance yourself across each of the various channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube). Think about yourself as a table, you are the surface and these channels are the legs that support you. It doesnt matter how amazing the surface appears if the legs are weak! Each channel plays a key role in supporting your efforts to gain employment. more Manage Your Online Presence LinkedIn is basically the professionals Facebook, the setup is very much the same but the content is vastly different. LinkedIn allows you to present yourself through your skills, qualifications, experiences and even upload your resume. This will be the cornerstone of your social media marketing plan, the main focus for potential employers. more Using LinkedIn Groups in your job search Utilizing YouTube can be a creative way to make yourself an interactive portfolio, especially if youre looking for a career in photography/filmography or even event planning. Video resumes are becoming more and more popular and can be an excellent way to show your creativity and initiative. Using Niagara Colleges Optimal Resume service is also a smart way to create an eye-catching video resume, it is fun, easy and free! Posting a link to your video resume on LinkedIn, Facebook and/or Twitter is a great way to combine your resources. This is where things get a little difficult, Facebook and Twitter are not your traditional choices for marketing yourself in a professional manner, but there are a few things you can do to improve this. Most people use these channels for their personal day-to-day lives and sometimes there can be content that may not be appropriate for potential employers to see e.g. pictures of you drinking and/or fooling around with friends. You want a consistently appropriate and professional appearance to each of the channels you plan to use. One option may be to create alternative accounts for these channels, have one Facebook and Twitter page that is your personal page and one that will be your professional profile. Keeping your personal and professional lives separate is key! Use your professional accounts to post interesting and creative content! This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook