Katie Olsen, an Elon graduate of the Class of 2007, is now working in Tampa, Fla., as a freelance social media specialist. She offers some tips and tricks to becoming social media-savvy in the real world.
Let’s face it: We live in an age filled with social media. Whether or not you’re looking for a job in the field, it is impossible to think social media won’t touch your life in some way after college.
For many of you, your post-Elon profession won’t revolve around social media. Most of you will use it to keep up with your friends. You’ll learn about your friends’ lives and accomplishments via Facebook once your time at Elon is through. Thank goodness for the ability to stay connected.
But as a social media specialist, I wanted to take a few moments to touch on the topic anyway. What should you avoid? What steps should you take before graduation? And what does it take to land a job in social media?
The allure of oversharing
The No. 1 thing I would suggest avoiding on social media is the dreaded overshare. Every single thing you do during the day does not need to be broadcast to your networks. Instead, make valuable use of your social media efforts. If no one is responding to your “I just woke up and made the bed” tweet, chances are no one cares. Sorry.
Avoid linking all your accounts together. It sounds so simple to have your Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest all working together. But it says to me either you’re lazy, or you don’t know how to use social media properly. Give people a reason to follow you across multiple platforms. If you’re posting every single Pinterest pin to Facebook, why should I follow you on Pinterest? It would be redundant information.
Clean it up
As you’re approaching graduation or trying to land a summer internship, take a few minutes to clean up your profiles. This doesn’t mean you need to go through and erase everything. Just check over what you have out there, and ask yourself if it should be. Erase what you need to. Change your privacy settings if necessary. Sign out of your accounts and Google your name, and see what others are able to make of your profiles. In the end, all you need to do is be smart about how you’re presenting yourself, because it could make or break your future in the real world.
Now what?
What does it take to land a job in social media? There isn’t a foolproof plan I can impart to you. But there are a few things you can do to put yourself on the right path.
First, you must have perseverance and focus. Simply searching for jobs with the term “social media” is not enough. Are you a writer? Do you want to manage a company’s accounts? Do you want to help manage an online community? Be more specific with your job search terms, and chances are you’ll find opportunities that suit you.
While big companies are looking for employees to handle social media, there are also opportunities to work freelance, which is what I currently do. Startups and small businesses are a great way to get your foot in the door, and being able to work remotely is a big perk. Freelance work isn’t always steady, and you won’t necessarily receive any benefits, but it can be a great starting point.
In the end, you must view your social media profiles as a first look. Your future employers are potentially going to view what you’ve been doing in the social media world, which will determine if they want to pursue you as an employee. Make sure you are giving them a great — and accurate — first impression.