Leverage social media for a successful career

It's very common to see many job seekers spending all of their time searching for jobs via traditional job portals which now are less useful. The biggest mistake they do is ignoring the option to utilise the social media platform for their career advancement. In today’s technology-driven world, most teens and young adults are using social media. But they directly connect to their friends or relatives and mainly share personal experiences and casual conversations. Especially the newer generations of college students begin their social media experience as a very personal one. Many parents are worried as their children are addicted to social media.

Nowadays, most of the small and medium sized companies have increased usage of social media for their business growth. So, for the students, job seekers/aspirants, the shift to using social media for career development is necessary. Interacting on social networks with an eye on your career is better than doing so for purely personal reasons. Many people think that social media is a collection of social networking sites, but it's more than that. More and more recruiters are accessing social media sites to check out job seekers to not only test technical but also behavioural skills.

As per the social media marketing industry report, here are a few quick facts about the ‘Role of social media in today's business world’:

• 94 per cent of all businesses with a marketing department use social media as part of their marketing platform.
• Almost 60 per cent of marketers are devoting the equivalent of a full work day to social media marketing development and maintenance.
• 85 per cent of all businesses that have a dedicated social media platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an increase in their market exposure
• 58 per cent of businesses that have used social media marketing for over three years reported an increase in sales over that period
• Social media have substantially changed the way people find and secure jobs.

Many recruiters use social media to do a remote assessment before they call candidates for interviews.

The various forms of social media include: Online forums, blogs, social networking sites, pin board sites, video sharing sites, photo sharing sites, etc. There are plenty of social media tools, but to name a few which are popular and useful for career development are:

Wordpress, Blogspot, Tumblr, Facebook, Quora, Linkedin, Twitter, Skype, Google+, YouTube, etc.

Wordpress/Blogspot/Tumblr: They are mostly used to develop and hone communications and writing skills. According to the ‘Media Career Guide: preparing for Jobs in the 21st Century’, communication and writing skills are highly sought after.

Quora: You can follow the relevant topics and find interesting questions. You can showcase your skills (Technical, writing skills, etc.) to the prospective employers. It can certainly be another tool to develop your online presence and share your expertise in your industry.

Facebook: Though it's developed as a simple networking tool for college students (mainly designed to allow students to let their friends know where the parties were, and to look at the pictures from those parties afterward), it belies its current status as a variable and integrated tool for personal and professional branding and networking. Facebook can be a valuable tool for connecting to former and current colleagues, clients, and potential employers.

Linkedin: It's a widely used resource among professionals across multiple industries. It enables you to establish an online presence and thereby you can market your skills and experiences. Once your profile is created, begin connecting with as many as you can. You can join groups that align with your areas of interest and start sharing/learning. Reach out to different companies and their jobs.

Twitter: Twitter with short messaging service, you can follow employer profiles to find many job opportunities, internships related stuff. With the help of hashtag (#) one can be directed to your account when they search with specific and relevant keywords.

Google+: You can build a follower base through different groups and networking opportunities. It is a newer way to interview via a Google Hangout.

Skype: You can attend any training classes, and it saves your time and cost.

Do’s

• Your profile should be clear and crisp
• Add/Join Lists/Circles/Groups and build network
• Exchange the dialogue... Start interacting with people who have the power to hire you. Demonstrate your skill set with your writing/comprehensive skills. This is the best way to build a relationship with your networks.
• Ask what you want.... remember that until and unless you ask something you'll never get anything
• Check your profiles, likes, comments, and shares before you share your network. Use privacy policy wherever required.
• Personal vs. Professionals. Keep an eye while posting/commenting/liking any content.

Don’ts

• Posting inappropriate pictures
• Complaining about your current company, boss or job
• Posting conflicting information on your resume
• Allowing others to post irrelevant pictures, content
• Ignoring privacy settings

To conclude, you figure out exactly what your brand is, select the best social media tools to connect with your target audience, build your online empire and finally, market your brand for career success.