There is no shortage of dire warnings on the ways that improper use of social media can ruin your career prospects. Unfortunately, with all of this negativity, many people forget that social media can truly be an amazing tool when it comes to finding the ideal job in your chosen field. Keep reading to learn how social media can help you on your career path.
Even Social Groups Can Lead to Great Networking Opportunities
You never know who you will connect with or reconnect with on social media. You can also never tell where those connections may lead. That group you join on LinkedIn or another site, because of a hobby, because you live in a certain area, or because you attended a certain high school, could lead you to an important work-related connection.
Takeaway: Enjoy your interactions on social media, but be aware that a potential employer or future coworker could be anywhere.
You Can Highlight the Personality Traits That Employers Want to See
Potential employers care about more than your experience and qualifications. They want to hire people who can get along with others and who they believe will fit into their teams. Many will look into applicant’s social media pages to see how they present themselves to the world.
Takeaway: Are successful people in your field outgoing, scholarly, reserved, humorous, kind, etc.? Make sure your posts and conversations show the characteristics that match the work you are pursuing.
Social Activism Can Lead to Skill Boosting Volunteer Experience
If you are looking for opportunities to build up your skill set through volunteer work, take a close look at social media. Chances are, not for profit organizations and charities in your area have event pages up, and are in need of volunteers. However, it is best to start looking now because the best holiday volunteer opportunities for students are just around the corner.
Takeaway: Do some good and gain some important new skills by finding volunteer opportunities on Facebook.
You Can Show Your Maturity and Communications Skills
Are you talented at managing or rising above conflict? Have you learned not to respond to bait or drama? Even better, are you generally the voice of reason when it comes to social media? Can you build consensus? You can use your social media pages to demonstrate that you have great written communications skills, and that you can navigate the often contentious world of social media with grace and maturity.
Takeaway: Show people that you are a mature and thoughtful communicator on social media.
You Can Show Your Talents and Creativity
Ultimately, social media is a promotional platform. Take advantage of this by showing off what you can do. Use it as a platform for promoting your industry-relevant blog posts. Share pictures and links of your work, and engage with people in your industry.
Takeaway: Use social media to share your professional skills, talents, and insights.
Conclusion
You just never know when or how your social media participation might lead to a job connection or growth opportunity. Because of that, you should always be prepared for your future career to find you on social media.
