With “quiet quitting” on the rise and more people transitioning to careers that support better work-life balance, finding the right job in the digital marketing field can be tough. But it’s not impossible. There are tons of online tools to support your search, including social media.
So how can you use social media to find a job in digital marketing? These are the steps I used to leverage social media for my job search.
How To Use Social Media to Find a Digital Marketing Job
The ways in which you approach different professionals, companies, and job postings will differ depending on the platform. That said, these are the steps I took to leverage social media for my job search:
1. Update Each Profile
Your first priority should be updating each of the social profiles you want to use for your job search. Make sure you use a professional photo and clean up any posts, pictures, or videos that don’t reflect your professionalism. Depending on how you use your social platforms, you might even make a separate profile just for professional purposes. This is especially true of personal Facebook and Instagram profiles, since a lot of us don’t use our personal spaces for job searches.
For me, I avoided Facebook altogether, but I updated my Instagram to showcase my poetry and amateur photography skills. I don’t post anything too personal, and I keep my language professional when I introduce my artworks. On Twitter, I created a new account where my work is my focus, since my personal account was past the point of being able to update professionally.
2. Include a Detailed Bio
As you update your social profiles, edit the bio sections to reflect your experience, skills, and professional interests. Make this section as detailed as possible with highlights from your past work experience, any certifications or degrees, and a description of what you’re looking for. On LinkedIn, I did this by telling the story of how I transitioned from education to marketing. I showcase the skills and expertise from my previous career, along with my credentials. Then I wrapped up the bio section by describing how my career move helped me develop new skills, which I also highlight.
And while I’m not actively seeking a new position, this update to my bio has landed me several inquiries into my freelance work already. The bottom line? People want to hear your story, they want to know what you’re passionate about, and they want to know that your values and expertise align with the types of work they may offer.
3. Link to a Portfolio or Published Work
Include your portfolio or links to published work and completed projects. On Twitter, I use Linktree to connect to my portfolio and the online spaces where my work is published. On LinkedIn, I include several individual links to some of my favorite pieces, and Instagram connects to my poetry site.
The point here is that you want to make sure potential employers can navigate to your work samples. By including a portfolio or links to your past work, professionals looking to hire will have an easier time reviewing your unique talents and skills.
4. Follow Companies of Interest
Start following the businesses and companies you’re interested in working for. Even if you’re not going to apply to a specific company, follow anyway. Doing so keeps you up-to-date with what these brands are doing, who they’re hiring, and what they’re looking for in an employee.
You can optimize your profile to include details that relate to what your companies of interest are doing. So if you’re following a digital marketing agency on Twitter, and you notice the brand uses descriptors like “SEO,” “content writing,” “social media management,” or other terms that resonate with your expertise, use these in your profile and posts when talking about your experience.
5. Engage with Company Profiles
As you follow or connect with companies and businesses that interest you, start engaging. Like or share their posts, comment on posts you relate to, and ask questions about the company’s work.
Sign up for newsletters (if those are options) and notifications for new posts. When you get updates of new business posts, engage with them. If a new post happens to offer an open positon, you’ll have the opportunity to apply as you see fit.
6. Sign Up for Search Alerts
Just like you would opt in for new post notifications, sign up for search alerts on social so you hear about new opportunities as soon as they’re available. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, you can search a hashtag or specific term and opt in to receive a notification anytime something appears under that specific search term.
When I used LinkedIn during my job hunt, I searched and set notifications for any new job postings with the words “content marketing,” “content writing,” “SEO,” “digital marketing,” and “copywriting.” As new posts came out mentioning these phrases, I got alerts that showed me these relevant job openings immediately.
7. Share Professional Insights
Now the fun stuff. Share, share, share. Provide your professional take on a work issue, tell a story about your success in a previous role, or highlight your goals and achievements. These professional insights can help build your audience in your chosen career field, and you may even get a hiring manager or employer reading your professional purviews.
The benefit with this step is that you’re showcasing your professional thoughts, ideas, and input, which can influence how employers perceive you. Think about it this way: you give your professional viewpoint about a trending work topic and gain the attention of the director, manager, or CEO of a company you’re interested in. Then, a job offer. This is purley hypothetical right now, but it can and does happen more than most people think.
8. Respond to Professional Insights
Along with sharing your insights, actively respond to others’. Share your thoughts on posts from businesses and professionals associated with your companies of interest. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, or another social platform, get involved in the conversations. And when you do this, pick one or two specifics that really hit home for you. Then, respond with why or how these relate to you.
Ask open-ended questions in response to business insights or company updates, such as when companies post about upcoming events or a current trend in the market. Ask for details, show enthusiasm for what the company is doing, and (if applicable) ask how you can help. Responding to professional insights in these ways shows your drive, interest, and desire to grow.
9. Create Personalized Resumes
As you find open positions and job postings that are right up your alley, create resumes specific to each employer. Personalize your summary, skills, and experience sections to showcase the most relevant examples that relate to the company and the role. Don’t just submit a generic, one-size-fits-all document. Make it shine uniquely for each job you apply to.
Having trouble creating the perfect resume? Shameless plug 👉 head to Indeed’s Career Guide. I’ve ghostwritten a lot of helpful content on building resumes the right way, and you’ll find even more resources to help you craft resumes and cover letters customized to the employer.
10. Alert Professional Networks
Another thing I did to leverage my social platforms was alert my network to my job search. I made posts detailing what kind of roles I was looking for and what kind of work I was looking to do. I shared posts with these details frequently to remind larger networks that I was still looking.
So get your networks involved in your job search. Let your friends, family, and associates know you’re open to job offers. Create posts that highlight your creative skills in digital marketing and showcase how your work gets results. Then encourage your network to pass along your information should someone they know be hiring for a role suited to your expertise.
11. Respond to Open Positions
Start applying to jobs you’re interested in and qualified for as they become available. LinkedIn is the top choice for job seekers and professionals in this capacity with its job posts feature. And Twitter is also gaining ground as a platform for businesses and employers who are hiring.
Use searches to find mentions of open positions and follow the poster’s instructions on how to apply. LinkedIn, for instance, makes it easy for both employers and professionals to connect through job posts. On other social platforms, you may need to follow external application criteria, so be prepared for that as well.
12. Inquire Within
Cold pitching is still alive and well and can work for finding your next position, believe it or not. Sometimes the best thing to do is ask if there’s an open role or potential of one. If you go this route, especially with social media, it’s important to build some connection with the person or business before dropping into their DMs with your pitch.
And you’ll want to do your research, too. Learn about the company, the professional you’re in touch with, and the type of work they do. You’ll have a better chance of meeting their needs when you understand those needs. So inquire within and see if there’s a role to fill that benefits both you and the business and leads to positive outcomes.
Are you currently on the job hunt in digital marketing? How are you using social media to network?
Lauren J. Oliver Writing 