How can social media support your career transition?

I always tell people- don't wait until you have been laid off, or have left your job unexpectedly to start posting on social media. Build a following and a community over time. Share insights on your work, career, interests and life. And when the time for a transition comes, whether it was planned or unexpected, you will have a community/tribe ready and willing to assist you in finding a new situation.

To support your career transition through social media, understanding platform-specific audiences is key. Here are some insights Twitter (X): Ideal for tech, business, marketing, and online ventures. It's a global hotspot for blockchain and Web3. Great for scaling in the US and Europe. Facebook: However in Vietnam, it's a hub for blockchain enthusiasts, tech startups, investors, and marketers. Essential for tech and marketing pros. LinkedIn: Perfect for traditional sectors like FMCG, retail, and pharmaceuticals. Maintains a formal, professional tone, excellent for industry connections. TikTok: In Vietnam, it's the stage for marketers, PR, and content creators. Show your skills and connect with a younger, entertainment-loving crowd.

Social media can be a powerful tool to support your career transition. For me, LinkedIn works best. It has helped me connect with like-minded people and provided opportunities. My LinkedIn account functions like a resume, allowing me to showcase my skills, accomplishments, and personal stories. We should not hesitate to use social media to our advantage. You never know who might notice your post and offer you an opportunity that aligns with your dreams.

Well, this topic reminds me of my past, Social media platforms and buiding rapport with recruiters are the ways to transact career by showing your thoughts, skills and knowledge. You are hired by trust and of course your personal branding plays a very inportant role in assisting you with gaining trust for a successful hire. However, it is a long journey requiring you enough patience and effort.

LinkedIn can be the right platform to get in touch with many people in the same field or different one. Also can help you be updated about all the activities worldwide in a simple way

When optimizing your social media profiles, keep these four key principles in mind: 1. More visibility: Make it easy for others to find you by using relevant keywords and tags. 2. Speak to right audience: Tailor your content to speak directly to your desired audience. 3. Reflect your personal branding: Ensure your profile reflects your skills, goals, and personality accurately. 4. Easy to reach out: Make it simple for people to reach out to you. You want people to see you as friendly, approachable, collaborative and supportive professionals Your goal is to leave a positive impression and answer the question, "Would I want to work with this person?" Your profile is your online introduction, so make it compelling.

A resume is generally expected to showcase one's values based on past performance. The social media profile provides opportunities to showcase values relevant to a future role. Here are things you can do in the information card & feature sections of your LinkedIn profile. The profile lets you include hashtags & feature content relevant to future roles. The profile headline may be a mix of keywords and a value prop phrase that is relevant to the future career role. The profile banner can be used to state the competencies and expertise related to the new career. Check out the profile of Dharmesh Shah, Founder and CTO at HubSpot, for inspiration. The profile video is another opportunity to talk about your readiness to transition.

How you present yourself on your profile will dictate if a prospective client will follow you or not. Does you profile match your story you speak and post about?

To optimize your profile please also pay attention to your profile picture. Your first impression counts right? Here are three tips: Please consider a photo taken by a professional photographer. It’s worth the investment. Please always keep your eyes towards the lens. If you like, you can turn your shoulders slightly, but keeping your eyes on the lens is very important. This way you connect with the one taking a look at your profile picture. When taking a picture makes you slightly nervous, please fill your cheeks with air and let it escape slowly just before the picture is taken. This way your face relaxes and you are ready to go. Good luck!

Social media is a space for building valuable relationships. Here's a rule of thumb: always contribute, support, and give back to your network. Here are some practical ways to do it - Engage with Content: Like, comment, and share posts from those you admire for wider reach. - Answer Questions: Help others by offering solutions to their questions or problems. - Make Introductions: Connect people who can benefit from knowing each other. - Share Knowledge: Be generous with your insights and resources. - Show Appreciation: Thank and acknowledge others to boost motivation. - Goodwill on social media pays back in the long run. Building strong relationships means giving as much as you can.

In the dynamic landscape of career transitions, networking can be your secret weapon. Remember to send personalized connection requests when reaching out to professionals in your desired industry. Don't just click "Connect" and hope for the best. Explain your career transition goals and let them know you're genuinely interested in learning from their expertise. Seek advice and insights; show your eagerness to grow and adapt. Why does this matter? Building meaningful connections can open doors you never knew existed. Mentors can guide you, sharing wisdom from their journey. And, who knows, a well-nurtured connection might lead to job referrals or collaborations that accelerate your career transition.

If you want others to comment, like, share your posts then you need to start the process. Give first and then you shall receive. And yes - it takes time so I have allocated this as marketing snd brand awareness time.

It is important to consider what you are sharing and in what context you are sharing. By being open about what you are trying to accomplish you can achieve two key things: 1. You will attract the attention of people who are interested in the very things you are talking about. They will engage with what you post and you will start to build a community. 2. Some of the folks who engage will also actively reach out to you. Nurture these contacts as they are likely folks you can draw upon to further advance your transition. The last thing is to remember to do the same thing yourself. Engage with other posts that resonate with you and reach out to the authors to expand your network. The compounding effects of this will be significant.

Social networks help us in several ways: 1. Discover quality sources. Spend time on discovering hidden gems. There are creators generating high quality content that have low reach or diffusion. By doing it, You will learn from the best. To achieve this, it is necessary to develop your ability to curate content. 2. Create your own content, and become a reference. Create, share and build communities. 3. Keep yourself updated. Select quality sources, to get fresh perspectives from people or entities with authority. 4. Variety of formats. Choose and combine your favorites, to learn and create. Social networks are a window to learn and build. Or they are also a huge distraction when you are just consuming content.

Engage with your network and hugely important… curate a feed of inspiration and things that interest you! If your social media channels are where you engage with like-minded people or those who can help you with your career, it’s invaluable for your feed to be full of content and people that are: a) teaching you something new and relevant b) encouraging an interesting debate or conversation c) inspiring you or offering advice/tips that you’ll find beneficial Your social media can be a hub full of everything you need, so you have a place to visit for all of the above along your journey.

One of the challenges on LinkedIn is to get engrossed with the activity of, say, posting or commenting. Taking stock of how it is helping the objective of career transition may not be easy. I feel that correlating the elements of the LinkedIn Social Selling index to the career transition process - and subsequent monitoring of the SSI - would help keep one on track.

Digital Presence is an integral part of Personal Branding. In the professional context, LinkedIn plays a significant role in your career. Even if you have just started your corporate life, start optimizing your LinkedIn profile and start connecting & and engaging. The key is to make sure you are discoverable and your subject matter expertise is seen in your content. I have seen experienced professionals feeling skeptical about posting on LinkedIn. Don't fear judgment from peers, or colleagues. Build your virtual network especially when you are not looking out for a job.

It takes a lot longer to build your profile and a following than you think. I have been posting regularly for 5 months and now am starting to see the increase in followings, comments, reach etc. Start sooner than you think you need to. Spend time here before you build your product.