This past month, Jeremy Anderberg and I talked with two different college classes about what we do at a social media agency. We discussed our daily tasks, strategy sessions, long-term goals (for our own company and our clients) and education we continue to receive at One Social Media.
We had multiple compliments (and this blog post) about how we addressed these topics, and especially the business side of social media – actually getting results for our clients and proving our work is encouraging growth and hot leads in their business.
One question that came up with both groups (and was one of the top 3 questions asked) was,
“What should I be doing on social media right now while I’m still in school?”
Here are the top 3 things we told students (and really anyone) to start doing to create a strong online identity and eventually find a job.
1. Create a Personal Website/Blog
- Make sure you purchase a domain name (hopefully something close to your own name) and set up a website or blog all about you. Put your resume, writing samples (you better have some good ones!), experiences, and a weekly blog pertaining to whatever industry you’re going into. Make sure all your other social media sites are easily accessible through the website and give yourself a strong brand. Make sure your potential employers can learn the most about you in the fastest amount of time. Hold their attention, show them you’re creative, and market yourself! You’ve put a lot of hard work and investment into your education. You may even want a page on your website highlighting some recent industry news. Showing potential employers that you keep up on the industry news proves to them that you’re going above and beyond to stay in tune with what is happening in the career-world.
- When you hear about a new social media platform, check it out! It doesn’t hurt to play around on it. Here’s the key: don’t just think how you can use this for yourself, but how would you use this for a future client or business? Even just thinking of those questions helps you to get in the mindset of business social media. How else will this benefit you? Say you’re sitting in an interview and your potential employers wants to know if you’ve ever blogged. Not only can you say you’ve blogged, but you have a blog and have experimented with multiple blogging platforms.
3. Have a Strong LinkedIn Presence
- It’s important to not just be fluent in Facebook-ese, but you better be able to speak professional social networking as well. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, stop what you’re doing and sign up for one now… I mean it. This is your professional face to the world of professionals. Your experiences, resume, recommendations, professional interests etc. are all showcased on LinkedIn, and you can bet your future employer will look you up there as well. Make sure to participate in industry related LinkedIn groups, take advantage of job search capabilities and don’t be afraid to connect with people. Maybe not just professors and friends, but reach out to other professionals you may have met or know through someone else. Check your LinkedIn as much as you check Facebook. You’ll find a lot more valuable career information there, anyway. A strong LinkedIn presence shows your future employers you can do social media, and be professional at the same time.
Even if you’re not a student, these tips will help you stay relevant in the working world for the day when you may be looking to switch jobs. Even if it’s not social media related, it never hurts to keep an up-to-date personal website, experiment with different social media or online related programs/platforms, and always have a strong LinkedIn presence!
Did we forget anything? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter page!
