One of the chief ways to maximize your chances of getting noticed on the job hunt and landing a new opportunity is building a personal brand. Company brands, for example, highlight the best qualities that a consumer can know to expect from an organization. The same principle applies to personal branding, but in this case you are highlighting your qualities, skills and background so that a company will hire you.
Social media sites — like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more — are ideal places on which to develop and showcase your personal branding. Here are six steps to building a personal brand on social media.
Facebook and LinkedIn have numerous groups to join based on region and industry. Be sure to join communities that are relevant to the role you’re looking for. Are you an accountant? Then join professional accountant groups. If you’re a clerical worker, join secretarial or office administrator professional groups.
That’s not to say you can’t join personal interest groups, too. Many personal brands interweave professional and personal interests. You should take the time to create a social media presence where you can share your hobbies and interests in a manner that reflects well on you. Showing who you are outside of work on your social media profiles adds a personality to your professional experience that employers like to see.
Your personal brand needs to be consistent across social media. In other words, if you join professional office administrator groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, your Twitter and Instagram accounts should reflect these interests as well.
Many people find it helpful to pick a dominant social media to use and post on. They then choose smaller elements of that to post on Twitter, and a visual representative for social media platforms like Instagram.
Social media engagement requires showing up regularly. While you don’t need to comment every single day, you should aim for regular, consistent engagement by posting new content and sharing posts from others in your community.
Choosing two to three times per week and sticking to it is preferable to trying to post every day and then skipping a week, in other words. Consistency is the biggest aspect of building your brand and making sure it becomes well-established with those who view your profiles.
People read social media to be informed, entertained and to feel like they gained value from reading. You need to add something valuable. This could be sharing your knowledge with members of the group, showcasing your work in a portfolio for potential employers or commenting on trends in your industry.
Be sure to diversify the content you provide. Providing short posts on the same topic or just likes in response to other’s comments are not the best ways to use social media. Diversify the ways in which you engage.
Social media provides a platform to meet people in your field, including industry professionals. Follow those professionals and use the platform to comment in a way that furthers your brand.
If one of your skills is database management, for example, share your knowledge on social media. If users are discussing the best method of doing something, or the best software, weigh in with your experience.
Unfortunately, social media is occasionally the site of negative and/or unfair comments. Once you develop your brand on social media, you will need to monitor your name and brand to make sure that negative or unfair comments are addressed promptly. It’s not unlike the owner of a pizza place making sure that people don’t make unfair comments about the quality of the pizza.
Respond professionally, of course. If people are mischaracterizing your views, politely correct them. Don’t get engaged, however, in a lengthy argument. Rely on the good sense of the other users of the media to see the worth of your contributions.
Building your social media presence can go a long way towards building your professional reputation in your industry? Looking for more help on your job search? The Applied Companies have the solutions to help you find great opportunities throughout Reno and northern Nevada.
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