How to Start Your Career By Using Social Media

If it comes to career advancement, it's not something many talks about using social media to find a job or for professional growth. When talking about its effect social media can be rather divisive. It can get quite a negative view from bots and censorship to concerns about the 'spying' on you by recruiters.

This needn't always be a bad thing, though. Social media influence can work miracles and put so much positiveness into the lives of people. Some of the social media's beneficial aspects will potentially help with the job hunt rather than hinder it.

You're your own marque

How is it that social media will support your career? First, it's time to begin to think of yourself as your own brand. Whenever we sign in to social media and push the 'post' button, we reflect our core values of ourselves. Know there is forever what's written on the internet! Statuses and photos can be screenshotted, feeds can be scanned, and hashtags can be used to get more exposure for your content. This means putting more thought into how you handle yourself online, keeping your reputation in mind and how you express your values.

Fortunately, there are better privacy options so you don't have to make all your thoughts public, but sometimes they can pique some employers 'attention and make you stand out from the crowd. Being more careful about your content and posts could cause the right people to make a big impression. If you are not an industry expert or a creative person, social media might be your curriculum vitae!

Alternative resumes

It's a dynamic environment out there and with so many workers in the digital field changing and developing, many recruiters turn to social media to find their next talent. Using video content will encourage more attention and to get creative with videos you don't need to have a background in film and editing.

Spending time making high-quality, customized videos is a smart investment for your future and your career. Just by browsing the social media profiles of some people, particularly LinkedIn, you can find creative video resumes that summarize their achievements and experience. When employers and recruiters spend hours searching and reading to find the right applicants while swamping in the office, a video tutorial will catch their attention and make them see you among the others.

How to use social media to build a portfolio

Here are just a few easy ways to use social media to build an online portfolio ...!

Connectivity

Whatever channel you are on, make sure that you are communicating with the right people. LinkedIn is incredibly good for this, as people in their industry want to communicate with others and, even more importantly, to be seen to be interacting. Instagram and Twitter are no different when it comes to making valuable connections and it is worth dedicating some time each week to searching, following and engaging with people that you think are going to help with your career and widening your reach.

Facebook

Make sure you don't get the wrong idea from your cover photos because they are public regardless of your settings. Get innovative with apps and make them original by adding your title and other social media sites such as your Instagram and Twitter handles to your company colors. Consider your work descriptions and assignments available, so that employers can search your 'about' information easily. Your timeline should be private and for friends only, but if you have a blog to share, a helpful tip or just want to share another post relevant to your profession, make these posts public so that employers can gain a better perspective.

Instagram

This is a fantastic video sharing site, and innovative with profile design. The app lets you highlight your profile stories and send them to cover images and names. Here you can recognize relevant stories, such as events that you helped organize, support, or sort stories into relevant skills. It will allow employees to work through their skills easily and quickly by displaying the highlights at the top of your website.

Twitter

To use this platform as a portfolio tool, you can build your follow-up by providing useful field-related knowledge snippets along with appropriate hashtags. If you've got a blog, always connect to it along with a captivating caption to make viewers want to read more. If your Twitter is the place you want to sell or stay personal – with the caveat 'all views of my own' – then make a separate Twitter profile for your passion or knowledge only. Involve yourself in the hashtag trends to increase scope and exposure.