OUR 5 TIPS FOR LANDING YOUR FIRST JOB IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Job hunting can be a scary and stressful activity, with CVs, cover letters and references cluttering up your desktop and job sites clogging up your inbox. It can feel overwhelming and even disheartening to go through so many opportunities for your dream career, particularly if you get turned down for a role.

In the world of social media marketing, job hunting can be competitive, confusing and complicated - with different types of marketing requiring different types of interview prep. Some agencies might require an example of a social campaign you’ve carried out in the past, whereas others might want you to fill out a written language test before even beginning your application.

It’s important to be prepared when finding the right job in social media, especially when it’s your first job in the industry - so we’ve put together some handy tips to help you secure your perfect role!

1. MANAGE YOUR OWN SOCIALS FIRST

With any digital role, a solid social media presence can help to give you a good advantage over your competitors. From your Twitter and Instagram accounts to your LinkedIn and Facebook pages, making sure that your accounts are clean, appropriate and industry-friendly is a great place to start. You don’t want your future employer heading onto your Twitter account and catching you thread-deep in a fight about the latest episode of the Simpsons.

It’s also a good idea to make sure that you have a sense of cohesion across your platforms, a similar tone of voice and branding style. This could mean having the same professional profile picture on each account, a similar username and even a similar imagery style throughout your posts to help tie your profiles together. Regular posting on your accounts can help too, as it allows your interviewers to see your skills of dedication, attention to detail and cohesive social branding.

2. ANY EXPERIENCE IS GOOD EXPERIENCE

When it comes to social media, everyone is looking for a little bit of help - particularly if you can offer it for free. Whilst it’s important to know your worth when it comes to job-hunting, finding the time to do a little bit of work experience running someone else’s social media can help you to build up confidence, skill and familiarity with the nuances of the platforms.

Try to find a local charity, small business, society or even a friend who needs some assistance running their socials and offer to help. There are always businesses and accounts that could use some support to promote their brand and would be more than happy to help you build up your marketing portfolio.

3. BUILD UP A PORTFOLIO

Speaking of portfolios, have you created yours yet? A portfolio is a useful collection of any previous work you’ve done for social media and can help future employers to gain a sense of your writing style and personal approach to marketing. Here you could include any of your own successful social media posts, any graphics you’ve created, any impressive stats you’ve gained through social media, any external accounts you’ve managed or any mock-up campaigns you’ve designed.

If you’re relatively new to working in social media, it’s ok to include these mock-ups to help flesh out your portfolio, and to highlight the work you could do if given the opportunity. Your portfolio is your space to be creative, show off your design skills, showcase your abilities and give your interviewer a true sense of who you are.

4. DO YOUR RESEARCH

One of the worst things you can do when job hunting is to walk into an interview without having any idea what the company actually do. When it comes to social media, this is doubly important. Even before sending off your application, take a quick look through the company’s social media accounts and website and try to gain a sense of their tone of voice, their vibe and their aims. Do they use humour and trends to push their products or do they use more formal and corporate language? How often do they post? Are they an ethical brand that aligns with your morals? Do they promote messages you’d feel comfortable sharing? How much do you know about their products and services?

When you get into the interview, a common question you’re likely to be asked is ‘so what do you think of our current social media, and how could you improve it?’. Before you go in, take a little time to sketch out your answer to this question. Without being too critical or nit-picky, try to point out areas that might be improved or that you feel could be highlighted and showcased in a better way. Referencing the things you’ve learnt about the company beforehand and doing your research is a great way to come across as confident and impressive in your interview.

3. RE-EXAMINE YOUR CV

To truly nail the art of job hunting, you need to be ok with adapting your CV. Different employers are going to look for different details on your resume and it’s important to re-adjust and even redesign your CV to help those details stand out. In the world of marketing, and social media, in particular, you might find that academic qualifications don’t matter as much as real-world experience and actual interactions with social media accounts. A history degree doesn’t count for much when it comes to finding hashtags for an indie beauty company.

Your tone of voice is also important when writing your CV, and the way you design it too. Using simple, free software like Canva you can move away from the basic, black and white CV templates and start creating something that feels a little bit more personal and individual. Choose fonts that fit your personality and your personal brand. Include images and colours and even a picture of yourself. Think outside of the box to help your CV stand out in the pile, and allow it to help you make your mark in the application process.

The world is screaming for social media marketers, analysts, designers, copywriters and managers right now, and there is a job out there that’s perfect for you. Just keep going, keep grafting and keep building up your portfolio - you’re going to find something great!

Are you looking of a full service social media agency? This is certianly something we can help you with. Follow the link to chat with us today!

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