Boost Your Resume with Social Media Skills

According to a recent report by PR Web, being proficient in social media skills might be your key to getting an job.

As more and more companies are learning the benefits of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites, they’re looking for employees who can help the company manage the accounts they create. Some companies are even hiring employees specifically to manage their social media accounts.

Social media jobs are, in many cases, advertised in conjunction with freelancing jobs. You can find freelance writing jobs that have social media elements or look for jobs that are specifically for social media mavens. Many employers want social media employees with specific experience in their industry, so look for companies that align with your skills. For example, if you’re a dietitian, you could find a job as a social media expert for a fitness company or if you’re a teacher, you could find a job as a social media expert for an educational company or college.

If you don’t have much social media experience, don’t worry; this is an industry where you can start building your skills quickly, even without a job working in social media. Start your own personal social media accounts and take a few moments every day to update them. A number of blogs and websites deal exclusively with social media tips, so start reading these resources and making new contacts in your industry through social media.

If you currently work for a company that doesn’t have a social media presence, offer to add this responsibility to your job tasks. Doing the extra work could help you bridge to a high-paying social media job in the future.

For those who do already have personal social media accounts and some experience in this field, make sure that you highlight these skills on your resume, even if the job to which you’re applying isn’t looking specifically for an employee to handle social media aspects. Having these skills is a bonus to your potential employees, and might make them reconsider their absence in these markets. Your resume could inspire them to hire you just so they have someone able to take on social media tasks in the future.