Should I Be More Present On Social Media? Yes, Absolutely!
If you haven’t heard, LinkedIn is the new Facebook for professionals. You may still get the odd cat or pet lizard photo, but the animals are in a home office!
For years, I thought LinkedIn was only helpful in maintaining connections with people you previously knew in a professional capacity. Only after I moved to Australia did I realise how effective a tool it is for creating future opportunities and employability pathways within and outside your chosen industry. It’s modern-day online networking. You know someone through someone and one day a connection offers you a job!
For that connection to vouch for you and offer you a job, you need to ensure you are present and active on social media. We live in a well connected yet remote world. (Thanks, COVID-19.) The connections you make physically or virtually can propel you a long way. So, how do you go about creating your presence?
Consider Yourself an Asset
You are the most valuable currency an organisation has. If you value yourself and build your profile on social media, companies will see your worth and want you as their professional asset. The more you increase your value and profile, the more you get paid and the more companies can’t live without you. Make yourself an acquisition rather than an employee.
Build your Network and Foster Relationships
The days of fishing out business cards and collecting them are gone! When you attend networking events these days, the thing people fish out of their bags and pockets is a phone.
Connections are directly made on LinkedIn so your profile photo and details reminds everyone of you – the person they had a conversation with.
Another important thing to note is to ADD A NOTE when you send your connection request to people on LinkedIn. Personalising your message to future connections makes you memorable for those connections. In this fast-paced world, it can be difficult to remember every person we meet. Sending them a nice, personalised message helps to jog their memory of you and reminds them of what you both have in common.
Be Engaging
According to LinkedIn Jobs statistics, 94% of recruiters globally use LinkedIn to vet a job applicant. Even if you send out the best personalised email to a recruiter, they will still look you up on social media to gauge how engaged you are with the industry. You need to stand out from the crowd by actively interacting with other professionals on social media platforms.
Check out what your favourite companies are doing – follow their initiatives, like their posts, comment creatively and positively on their endeavours. All of this active engagement commits your name to their memory. So when you seek a job from them, they see your initiative, hard work, and determination. If they are unable to offer you a job, they’ll be determined to connect you with someone else who can because they see your value.
Be Curious
Employers love people who grow and change with the times. Showing them you are interested in learning gives them confidence that you can grow their business and yourself.
There is so much to learn from other professionals on LinkedIn. A social media post unrelated to your specific industry can still spark ideas and bestow you with skills that can be transferred to your industry. Joining professional groups on LinkedIn or Facebook can keep you current on the latest industry trends. Invest in self-learning, improve your knowledge and skills base, and be your best professional self!
You can learn more about developing your LinkedIn presence by joining our free workshop.
The professional world is a large place but you can make it smaller through your connections on social media.
Swathi Stirling is part of the placement team at Outcome.Life in which she talks to new students and host companies every day about the importance of work-integrated learning. Once an international student herself, she is passionate about connecting with international students and sharing with them how she navigated the same path and kickstarted her career. She also loves creative writing.
If you have any questions...
The Outcome.Life team are always here to answer any questions or help with any problems you might encounter during your internship.
You can contact us between 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday at:
Phone: 03 8899 7424
Email: hello@outcome.life
