“Social Media puts the “public” into PR and the “market” into marketing.”
~ Chris Brogan
With many companies hiring interns, entry level candidates and senior management positions in social media it is already high time to prep your skills if in near or distant future you see yourself gravitating towards a career in social media. To get started first know what job titles, requirements and expectations are in this field – to know and prepare well is always the best way to get there! And of course from the quote above you’ll know for sure that you definitely need the people’s skills and marketing prowess to be a successful in any social media related job. Now if you relate to what is being said here, read on..

Here’s how to begin planning on a understanding what a social media career would mean to you, first look up:

Social Media Job Titles

Some social media jobs that are in -demand right now:

  • Web/Social Media Coordinator
  • Social Media Specialist
  • Product Manager Social Media
  • Social Media Technical Lead
  • Software Development Engineer – Social Media Advertising
  • Social Media Product Strategist
  • Sr. Marketing Manager, Social Media
  • Social Media Marketing & Community Manager
  • Social Media Analytics Intern

The reason you must research on the job titles first to evaluate which of these titles would you aim for when switching careers or planning on a new one.

Next comes sifting through the job requirements – what do the recruiters, companies and managers expect for a suitable candidate for such positions?

 

Job Requirements for Social Media Jobs

Some of the general job requirements and responsibilities that were consistent in almost all social media jobs (though not limited to only those listed here) that I researched were:

Note: these cover the entry level as well as senior level requirements

  • Strong writing and analytical skills; able to seek and assemble brilliant, interrelated narratives
  • Strong passion for social media with an early adopter attitude
  • Very strong in Excel and Power Point
  • Contribute strategic ideas for using social media to engage customers
  • Track traffic, tweets, web analytics
  • A talent for composing engaging content for placement on social media websites like Facebook
  • Coordinate the planning and implementation of social media campaigns with primary focus on customer acquisition programs.
  • Coordinate the planning and implementation of social media campaigns for our advertisers by working with internal development, creative, and editorial teams, outside vendors and freelancers.
  • Be an advocate of social media integration within the company, helping to influence overall site and business strategies.
  • Monitor and report trends in social media tools and research innovations in emerging social platforms and technologies.
  • Solid Understanding of the social media universe including but not limited to; YouTube, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Digg, Reddit, Flickr, Forums, Twitter, Wikis and blogs.
  • Proficient in content management and the use of content management systems.
  • Proficient knowledge of SEO.
  • Familiarity with content management systems and fundamental Internet technologies such as HTML and CSS.

 

5 Key Skills required for a Career in Social Media

 

1.      EXIHIBIT AND DEMONSTRATE PASSION

This is perhaps universal for any job but here it specifically means – when looking for social media jobs it is a good idea to have a good social media presence. Show them by doing what they would ask you to do.

  • Do you have a complete LinkedIn profile?
  • Are you on Twitter ‘professionally’?
  • How do you use Facebook other than chatting with friends and updating status?

If you’re not passionate about creating and enriching your own online presence then would you be for someone else?

Tip: Your presence and influence online matters. Have a look at what and how you represent yourself on the social media platforms before applying for these jobs. That’s exactly what the employers mean when they say that they want to see a candidate passionate about a job in social media.

 

2.      KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND TOOLS

This of course is a no brainer but believe me some of the recruiters find it highly irritating when they have interviewed quite a few candidates for an intern or entry level positions and the candidates were not able to talk about any social media platforms other than Facebook and Twitter! There’s much more to social media that the applications you generally use to chat with friends – research in-depth about what new social media has to offer.

Tip: Look up the job requirements to figure out which channels and tools are most preferred to be proficient at. Then work on them and master them.

 

3.      ANALYTICAL SKILLS

Your analytical skills are in top demand for a social media job.

Analytical skill is the ability to visualize, articulate, and solve both complex and uncomplicated problems and concepts, and make decisions that make sense based on available information. Such skills include demonstration of the ability to apply logical thinking to gathering and analyzing information, designing and testing solutions to problems, and formulating plans. (Wikipedia)

Tip: You’ll be analyzing data, writing reports, preparing analysis on user data etc. Get to know how it is being done now and what new technologies are being accepted by the industry.

 

4.      WRITING AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Content has, is and will continue to be the KING!  And is one of most in-demand skills for a social media position be it entry level or at a senior level. What can you do to get up to speed on your writing and content management skills now? It’s a requirement for any social media position and while you’re at it get read y to spruce up your skills on content management tools or software that most industries use.

Tip: Get working on honing you skills in written and oral communication, knowledge and expertise in graphics, content management and SEO will help you gain an edge over other applicants.

 

5.      MARKETING SKILLS

Most of the social media jobs are customer focused, customer interaction and support based. And to meet customer support demands and effective interaction skills you must work on your people skills, marketing skills and present some examples when asked for during an interview.

One of the best ways to get going on developing your marketing skills is to work backwards, write which tells about how good you were at marketing an idea to someone. Now do exactly that for an honest story or a testimonial.

Tip: Get comfortable in connecting with bloggers, media writers, influencers on social communities. Work on your customer relations skills, you might be working on in-depth research and monitoring, as well as providing metrics on customer satisfaction.

 

Now since your skills are all spruced up it is time to start on the social media job hunt and what better way to look these up than on the social media channels. Here are Five ways to use social media to find your next job.

 

An infographic by mindflash.com on how to get a job in social media:

social-media-jobs