Make social media work for you: step 3
If you’re studying art, design, journalism, business, tech, law, marketing, politics or any number of associated subjects, social media is likely feature in your future career. It’ll play a part in job-hunting, nailing internships or entry-level jobs, and building a strong professional network.
If you’re active in university Societies and running campaigns, you’ll want to be getting word out there too – and social media is an amazing promotional tool that helps you put your event or petition right in people's hands, at any time of day or night.
You might already be getting to grips with social media, or you might be nervous of putting yourself out there in a public forum; either way, this 3 part series covers the basics and offers pro-tips to help you get the best out of it. Welcome to the third and final installment!
Before you read on, catch up on parts 1 & 2 of this series here!
Step 1: Define your goal, consider your options and create your own space
Step 2: Win the interest of influencers
3. Stay focused
- Social media is an enjoyable way to boost your employability, tell people about your society or win supporters for your campaigns, but keep your cool and make sure you don’t overload your followers (or your own attention span!) with flurries of updates
- People appreciate insight, humour and good judgement. Comment on topics where you can best show off these traits and make a postive impression on your followers.
- Check your facts (and links) – make sure you're not falling foul of hoax stories and broken URLs!
- Keep your avatar (profile picture), handle (@name) and bio simple and to the point – @sexybeast with a drunk pic will find employment harder to crack than @jodigital with a simple headshot. If you're running a society or campaign, get a friend who knows their way around Photoshop to design a simple and eye-catching logo that suits the avatar format.
- Your bio/About Me section is what most people will look at when deciding when to follow you – something short that accurately reflects your interests will serve you well. For example, 'I study at Middlesex Uni, volunteer for @LocalCharity & blog about student life' gives your potential audience a way better idea of what to expect than 'Follow me!'
- Posting updates about your lunch/bad night’s sleep/delayed train journey etc won’t attract interesting people...
- If you get distracted, keep things fresh by reminding yourself of your goals. If you’re job-hunting, follow recruitment websites and job boards – and don’t forget to keep your offline CV-building activities ticking over too by booking an appointment with the university's own careers service, Employability!
- Get job vacancy updates and careers tips direct: Like Employability on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or book an appointment with an advisor via UniHub
When in doubt, remember - social media is a tool - you can use it in a way that helps or hinders you. If you're finding social media unrewarding or nervewracking, don't worry - you can chat to MDXSU's Comms Co-ordinator in person to get more tips and advice tailored to suit your particular needs.
Email Suki Ferguson to arrange a time to meet at the SU - or just drop us a question over on Facebook or Twitter!
