I recently had a meeting with my boss to discuss how to get a job in social media once my internship is up next month. He gave me an incredible amount of great advice. Advice that I will share with you now.

For this post, I’m going to assume that you have a background in communications, marketing or public relations. For those who don’t, getting a job in social media is going to involve way more than what I can give you in a blog post.

The first step is to establish your online presence. Cultivate your brand. That means getting accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and a blog. Facebook is optional, as many professionals in social media choose to keep their Facebook profiles for personal use. I am one of those professionals. I’ve locked down my Facebook profile so that only my friends can see any of my content. If you decide that your Facebook profile is to be for personal use, you must use your privacy settings to their full extent. As a social media professional, this can make or break your career.

As for Twitter, create an account with a handle that is some part of your name. For instance, my name is Stacey Alexander. That handle was taken, so I went with Stacey_Alex. It’s close to my name, and not only will people recognize me by it, but it can also help them to remember my name even if we only interact through Twitter. If your name is completely different from your handle, others may forget it. Once you pick a handle, start tweeting. Retweet others. Tweet blog posts you’ve read. Engage others in conversation about social media. To start out, try to tweet about five times per day. Once you get the hang of it, you can go toward a more lofty number.

LinkedIn is one of your best tools for professional social networking. It’s sort of like a Facebook profile, but just for business. You can join professional groups in social media, connect with current and past colleagues, meet others in your field through mutual friend introductions, and get recommendations that will appear in your profile—which is essentially an online resume and general cover letter.

Once you have those accounts, start using them. Follow influential social media tweeters. Not sure who to follow? Go to the Twitter account of someone you know of in social media and follow who they’re following. Likewise, join social media groups on LinkedIn. It will give you a chance to learn from and interact with other people in social media you wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. Ask for recommendations from past and current colleagues. Basically, use these platforms to gain information and build your brand as a social media professional.

Follow influential bloggers in social media. Set up feeds on a personal dashboard like iGoogle or Netvibes. Read their posts daily. This will keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in social media, and give you content to share on Twitter, LinkedIn and your own blog. Don’t know any? Start with Amber Naslund, Christopher S. Penn, Chris Brogan, David B Thomas, and Mitch Joel. These are some of the people I follow.

Blogging yourself is another main component in building your online presence. This allows you to be a giver of information, further emphasizing your value to possible employers. WordPress blogs (like this one) are a great tool to accomplish this goal. Not only can you have a place to blog about your social media knowledge, but you can use your site as a hub for all your social media involvement. Follow buttons, extra pages. You can essentially create your own website from your WordPress blog. Try to write a post every day, even if it’s just a link to another blog with a couple paragraphs adding your opinions or a bit more information. Show readers that you are present and up-to-date on social media today.

When looking for a job, note that you will be a “Communications Specialist” and that you will likely need to get a job in marketing or public relations, where your experience and knowledge in social media will give you the upper hand on your competition. Jobs purely in social media are few-and-far-between for entry-level persons. To get contacts in the social media field—who can help get you a job—attend social media club meetings. If you’re in the Raleigh area, Triangle Social Media Club is a good one. Meet people; make connections in person that you can then maintain online.

Another good approach Dave enlightened me about is info interviews. Make a list of firms that offer social media services. Contact people in those firms and request information interviews. This just means that you have some time with them where you can ask their advice on making yourself more presentable for a job.

Any pertinent information I’ve left out? What tips do you have for those getting started in social media?

Photo by webtreats