Chelsea Williams is a recent graduate of Webster University’s Advertising program and a large-breed dog lover who appreciates creative hash tag usage, breakfast-for-dinner and a well-organized planner. She’s also a bride-to-be and one of my best friends!
I wanted to write this post because I keep seeing tweets that look something like this:
@username: Well guys, I need to start applying for internships so it looks like it’s time to make my Twitter private 😦 #NoMoreRetweets
And I’m all like:
As a young professional trying to break through the clutter (no matter what your profession), now is not time to hide on social – It’s time to shine! To quote one of my besties and social media professional, @tweeeterin, “So you want agencies and companies to know you and hire you, but the first thing you do is hide?” Social media is such a powerful resource and like many things (ahem… internships) you get out of it, what you put in. So use it to your advantage!
If you’re not sure where to start, below are four steps to getting noticed (in a good way) on social:
1. Create Your Personal Brand
This is your chance to showcase who you are, what you excel at and a little
unique personality – Just because you’re growing up, that doesn’t mean you
have to be boring. Employers want to hire someone they would enjoy having
around the office everyday, so it’s good to show your fun side. While setting
your accounts to private may be a simple solution to potential snooping,
making them public could place you way ahead of your competition if you use
them to your advantage. It’s like you’re saying, “Go ahead and look for my
social media profiles. Check out how awesome I am”. Your Twitter bio is a
great place to start in creating your personal brand. If you had to sell yourself
in 140 characters, what would you say? Here are a few examples of some of
my favorite Twitter bios:
@joshkocurek
2. Adapt Your Content
One of my favorite things about public social accounts is that it sort-of holds
me accountable for what I post. Sure, you’ll see me posting about last night’s
Bachelorette episode and adorable puppy videos but that stuff’s harmless – I’m talking about negativity. People love to endlessly rage with negative rants on Facebook and Twitter and it showcases them as an unpleasant person (and probably not the type of person your coworkers want to work with everyday). Having a public social presence makes me think twice about what I post. Think positive – because you can never take back a post that you regret.
3. Be Easy to Find
No sense in having a public social space if no one can find you, right? Take
advantage of the opportunities social gives you to share your various media
platforms. For example, post a link to your LinkedIn profile on Twitter or if you
write a blog, be sure to link to your other social accounts. Add this info to your
email signatures, too! The more they intersect, the better!
4. Network!
Find people in your field and join the conversation! You can search for other professionals on Twitter and join in on discussions that apply to you. For example, I like to join the #BareItAll chats because it directly relates to my field of social media and marketing, where we share insights on industry trends and strategies. I’ve connected with several other professionals (who I would’ve never met otherwise) this way and still keep in touch. This kind of professional activity can put you miles ahead of your competition because employers will notice your enthusiasm about your industry and eagerness to learn. But don’t forget: While online networking is important, never underestimate the power of good, old-fashioned, in-person networking!
So what do y’all think? Are your social media accounts public or private? Have you had any experiences where your public social media account had a hand in landing you a job?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can find me on Twitter – @chelsrose. Talk to you soon!
P.S. Thanks, Ashley, for letting me guest post on Glatz & Glamour! xo
The Parks Department 
One reply on “Guest Post: Social Media: A Young Professional’s Secret Weapon”
Nice post, Chelsea! I think you make a couple good points here, especially the part about extending your reach so that applicants are easier to find. Let’s face it – employers turn to social media, online portfolios, and the powerful, almighty Google (or, as I like to refer to as “the Goog”) to find content and context that surrounds an applicant’s personal brand. Being sociable just gives you another chance to get in front of your potential employer’s eyes.
Young professionals should understand the emerging role of CONTEXT in personal branding. For instance, applicants can build more brand equity by commenting on industry related blogs and articles, even if the content doesn’t originate in your local area. One of my favorite things to do is to skim Advertising Age’s Power 150 and try to add valuable information to the subject that I’m so passionate about – advertising. You never know, a blog comment could get you a job in another city, like New York!
To answer your questions:
I think you’re absolutely right. My social media accounts and blog comments are easy to find. Heck, I even go out of the way to “Promote” some of my posts on Facebook in hopes getting increased attention. Cheers!