Getting social could get you your dream role

With nearly 14 million Aussies having Facebook profiles, I’d hazard a guess that everyone reading this post has one. And probably a few other social media profiles too. The proliferation of social media in our daily (dare I say hourly!) lives is both exciting and daunting at the same time. Gone are the days when social media was about sharing photo’s on Facebook so your friends abroad could get a sneak preview into your life. Now Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and so on are valuable tools to use in your professional life too!

Sally Cooper, Founder of Social Frequency, was the guest speaker at our recent FlexConnect event titled ‘Marketing yourself through smart profiling’. What is smart profiling you might ask? Smart profiling is ensuring your online presence is the best representation of you, especially if you are in the market for a new role or wanting to network within your industry. CV’s are no longer taken at face value and prospective employers can and will source a significant amount of information about you from what you are saying online….even in your personal life!

Sally, in her very candid way, encouraged a room packed with women eager to learn more to “Make the transition from using Social Media in a social context to using it to gain employment and connect with influencers in your profession.”

She shared with us an inspiring story of a women who had been looking for work unsuccessfully for quite a few months. With Sally’s social media sorcery she was stepping into her new office in her ideal role in 8 weeks! There were a lot of heart to heart conversations as she had to uncover who she really was, what she was prepared to share with the world and what her ideal role was, then came the planning stage and after that execution of it all. #Boom she was called for interviews at places who had previously turned her down and finally she secured her perfect role. This could be your story too with as little as 30 minutes a day of focused social media activity. The operative word here being ‘focused’ and avoiding the lure of distraction from interesting links, cute photo’s, funny video’s and shocking comments!

So if you’re looking for a role or looking to be considered an influencer in your area of expertise then you need to get social online. Here are Sally’s s*%t hot tips for using social media to your advantage:

1. Depth is more important than width so choose the social media platforms that suit you best and leverage those
2. Update your profiles so they are professional and remove all potentially contentious content. Make sure there is a clear link to your email address.
3. Embrace the inner stalker in you to find influencers in your space and at businesses where you seek employment. The search functions on most platforms are fantastic. And check out their klout scores (while you are there, check out yours too!)
4. ENGAGE with them (even if you think their photo is crappy, say you love it. And keep saying it!). They’ll notice you soon enough.
5. Hone in on your top prospects and connect in real life! Top tip: trial your approach on a few people before you go after your jackpot!

It’s time to get social. And yes time is a precious commodity, especially when you are a parent. Sally also recommended two tactics to save time whilst growing your social media presence. Use a scheduling tool like Hootsuite which works for you while you’re with the kids or at work and ‘share’ (aka steal) other peoples content so you don’t have to spend time creating your own!

How have you made the shift from using social media in a social context to a professional one?