How to Effectively Use Social Media to Land a Social Media Job

If you are serious about landing a job in social media you must be actively participating on Linked in, watching trade publications like Mashable and keeping your eyes on job boards such as http://www.jobsinsocialmedia.com/  You must also have a plan of action to build your brand through social networking - creating your story. Here are some ideas to help you in this effort.

Use Social Media by the Numbers Strategy

7 Influencers –

Find seven influential social media luminaries among your allies, mentors and friends. Ask everyone who knows you well - those folk who are on your side - to connect with you on twitter. Then check their twitter handle to see if they have influence with tools like http://twittergrader.com/amystark or http://facebook.grader.com/user/elite .  You can also check their Social Media Clout at http://klout.com . Focus your energy and the majority of your online interactions with the top seven influencers on that list. 

5 Social Media Platforms -

Maintain an active and consistent presence on BLYFT -- Blog, Linked In, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter. <= This is a minimum requirement to entry if you want to be taken seriously in the social media universe.

3 BEst Practices -

• Be Honest -  “To thine ownself be true.” Don't pretend to be something you're not because then you'll attract employers who align with a manufactured brand, not the real you. 
• Be Human - Don’t be afraid of mistakes every now and then, it shows you’re human. In a recent Webinar Mari Smith echoed this sentiment when she noticed a mistake on her slide. She said, "Well there's always at least one mistake in every presentation." When you make a mistake never run away from it. Admit it, apologize and then find a way to use it to make fun of yourself.
• Be Giving – Virtually all societal groups in the recorded history of Western civilization have come to the same conclusion:  What you put out comes back - What goes around comes around - As ye sow, so shall ye reap. The more you give others in your social media interactions the more you’ll receive in return. It works!

Consistently Produce Good Content 

Things change quickly on the Internet. There are times when being up-to-date is too slow, you must be up-to-hour/minute. If you haven’t tweeted in over a month, or your last blog post was two weeks ago, you need to find another line of work. Never let your 5 social media platforms get stale. Ensure your content is fresh by writing or sharing relevant posts, quotes from the smartest minds and reliable social media tools.

Build Trust

• With Influencers – They are influencers for a reason. Study them and act as a mirror. Don’t be afraid to reflect their light by recommending them publicly - retweeting them and sharing their facebook posts.
• With Peers - Become a respected voice among your peers. If you are unable to travel to conferences at least attend local social media functions. Social networking is great, but face-to-face will always be king.
• With Followers - Foster strong bonds of trust by consistently providing valuable information that can help others. The more you help people get what they want, the sooner you'll get what you want* - a job.

Trust has always been a function of time. Consistently Ethical Behavior + Time = Trust. This social media job hunting plan has a long sales cycle, but it's worth it. You will be much happier producing social media for an employer who already knows and likes your style.

 Photo Credits:

Help Wanted by Egan Snow

Social Media Icons by Paul Wakefield

Honesty by kkimpel

* Steve Bullington Quote