Guest post.

Everyone has a different idea of their “dream job,” but regardless, getting it requires hard work. When looking to land your dream job today, you have to market yourself properly. This is not only about the relevant job skills you’l need, but also about standing out in a sea of applicants.

When evaluating you as a job applicant for any role in marketing (particularly social media marketing) or public relations (PR), prospective employers will scrutinize your social media presence and activity. While this may seem scary, it also opens up a lot of possibilities.

Blurred Lines

Your social media profiles are no longer just for amusement and socializing. Taking the cue from the word, “profile,” these are indeed being looked at by employers to build a more in-depth and comprehensive view of their applicants.

There is no such thing as a “personal” social media profile; you have to assume anything online can be viewed by anyone. And the lines between personal and business profiles are increasingly being blurred out in today’s interconnected world.

Your social media activity will definitely impact the way a prospective employer looks at you. If you think of social media as the professional branding platform that sells you and your skills, the topics you choose to post about will likely be much different than if you just consider it as a place to hang out or connect with friends.

Be careful with politics. There’s nothing wrong with taking a stand on issues, but make sure your content is positive, not angry or hateful.

An Awesome Opportunity

79% of the U.S. population uses social media, and nearly all businesses have profiles as well. Companies recognize this, and most of them will also be on social media. If you are looking to land a job doing social media, digital marketing, or PR, then your own social media profiles provide an opportunity for you to showcase your social media skills to potential employers.

In short, your social media profile can be used to showcase you as a brand. You can use your social media presence to display your portfolio of your social media skills. This includes simple changes, such as changing your profile name to your real name rather than a nickname. This act alone will immediately show seriousness and professionalism in your profile on any platform.

Other simple things that you can immediately do to make your social media profile more “employer friendly” are to demonstrate your image editing and copywriting skills. Your writing skills will be readily apparent from the quality of posts in your social media accounts.

A prospective employer may also scrutinize the people you follow, so give your social media presence a makeover and make sure that the content and the accounts your follow are on point with the personal brand you are trying to build.

Learn the Technical Stuff

In any professional endeavor, it pays to learn as much as you can about the role you are passionate about to land that dream job. In the case of social media or digital marketing, there are is some  “technical stuff” you need to learn to be more productive.

This includes knowledge or social media advertising, social media management, and social media aggregator techniques, as well as the most popular tools used to monitor, design, and manage social media marketing campaigns.

Fortunately, the information you’ll need is easy to find. Online resources are abundant, paid and free. Social media itself is teeming with self-help groups and forums that aim to help like-minded professionals.

Knowing managing multiple social media platforms is always a plus. Familiarity with Buzzsumo, Hootsuite, Buffer, and other social media management tools is invaluable in helping you land that social media management or digital marketing job

Wrapping It Up

Social media, digital marketing, and PR jobs are demanding—but enjoyable if you have the right personality. If you have the passion and are willing to invest in time and effort required, you’ll have a good shot at a rewarding career.

If you enjoy social media interaction and can do it in a professional manner, you may get to indulge in your favorite past time while earning money from it.

The post How to Showcase Your Social Media Skills and Land Your Dream Job appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity.