Include “social media expert” on your resume (and have the skills to back it up!).
Social media is in our everyday life and as college students we all have spent the little spare time we have to check our Facebook, Twitter, etc. We may have all had a moment sitting next to a person who seems to possess some intense note-taking capabilities as they type away at 100 words per minute, only to realize that they’re updating Facebook or streaming through their Twitter feed. Little do you know, they are sharpening their social media skills at that very moment to better fulfill their duties as a social media expert. We are not encouraging tweeting and updating facebook during class as the consequences will be seen around exam time… But with that said, social media expert is something that now can be added to your resume.
According to Jennifer Sarver, the PRSA liason for the UT chapter of PRSSA and their first guest speaker of the semester, companies are looking for social media experts on applicants’ resumes to fill positions. They know how easily a tweet can spread, and one bad tweet about their brand can translate to thousands of followers reading that negative tweet. They also know how much of an effect their communications can have when they work to create dialogue with their consumers and about their brand in the social space. Companies are looking to be better represented via social networking sites, and they are looking for millennials to fill the gap between traditional media and the latest media techniques, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, the blogosphere and a multitude of other channels.
Becoming a social media expert takes more than just updating your status and the occasional tweet. It is no longer about YOU anymore, but about your brand. Putting this into practice is going to take more than just handling your own social networking sites. Suggest social networking to organizations you are a part of, and if they have a social media department consider volunteering to help out. Maybe they’re sticking to the usual social networking sites; suggest something different, or new. Encourage them to evaluate social media networks that might be even more foreign to them than Facebook or Twitter. They might find value in reaching out to a niche market that is heavily active in a place they never thought to look.
Practice blogging on your own, read other blogs, and try to blog for your organization. The more you practice this the more confident you will become in your social networking skills, and you will be able to fulfill your duties as a social media expert. Blog about what you’re comfortable with, following the age-old adage to “write what you know,” but remember that your writing, along with your Twitter, Facebook, Foursqure, YouTube and LinkedIn profiles (just to name a few), will shape your personal brand in the same way they shape a company’s brand.
Dianne Segovia
Social Media Officer
