How to Use Social Media to Advance Your Career

How to Use Social Media to Advance Your Career Social media provides a platform in which you can share your value with people in your industry to advance your career. Social media gives you an outlet to interact with other people in your industry, create mutually beneficial relationships, and demonstrate your expertise and knowledge through your posts. Fortunately, it is a fairly easy way to get yourself out there to make those connections. First, you must remember that if youre connecting with other industry experts, hiring managers, and other executives, you must ensure your social media profiles are reflective of you professionally. While theres no harm in posting about your hobbies and interests outside of your career, you need to make sure all your social media profiles are devoid of harmful or crude information. Aside from the damaging impact of negative posts, you can easily use social media to advance your career Heres how to Use Social Media to Advance Your Career: Create a Network LinkedIn and other social media platforms provide an effective way to network, meet, and interact with others in your industry. Through social media, youre able to authentically network with other executives and hiring managers without adding a lot of extra work for you. To build a network that truly benefits you, be picky about who you welcome into your network on social media. For the purpose of furthering your career, focus your energy networking with those who will help you take your career to new heights and whom you can help in return. If you have nothing in common, it does not serve either party. Search for a Job By creating a network on LinkedIn, you make connections that can lead to recruitment and new opportunities down the road. You can build valuable relationships with people who can help you when youre in a position to take a leap up the career ladder. Build a Personal Brand Your personal brand is important to the advancement of your career and to position yourself as an industry expert. Your social media profile is a great way to build your personal brand by communicating with others, providing valuable advice or insight, and commenting on articles. Demonstrating your expertise and knowledge will set you apart and define your position as a valuable asset to any organization. As you use social media to further your career, whether you are actively searching for a job or not, it is important to be consistent and compelling. Your goal is to set yourself apart and help others recognize your unique value.