The fact that the internet took the world by storm and affected everything in it is already old news. What is more interesting is the way that social media slowly, but surely crept not only into our social lives, but also into our professional lives. It’s safe to say that the modern work market now looks completely different than it did ten years ago and that both employers and employees feel the repercussions of this shift. Below we will look at four way in which the emergence of social media impacts the work market:
LinkedIn is a professional networking website that has become so popular that your chances of getting a job can be considerably higher if you have an account. Recruiters will sign in daily to look for prospective employees, while at the same they will use this platform, sometimes exclusively, to post any new job openings. This platform is used at such a rate by both employees and employers, that you can even turn to LinkedIn profile makeover services that offer the needed know-how to make you a desirable candidate for many great companies. This is to say that not having a profile on LinkedIn will most likely not kill your career, but will definitely keep it from developing at a healthy rate.
That’s right, there is no escaping social media. It’s no wonder that in this day and time, when we’re highly connected to a myriad of devices and social platforms, it can look suspicious if you’re not on any of them. Having said this, recruiters and managers will often think twice before choosing a candidate that has no such internet connections with the world around them. However, if you are a more reserved person, you can easily create social media accounts that are meant for business purposes only. This way you still get to increase your hiring chances, while also leaving the details of your personal life intact. In the end, this is a win-win that doesn’t compromise your identity.
The best part of the technological wonders we get to enjoy today, is that we can do almost anything while on the go. If you feel you need to update your LinkedIn profile or just remembered to change an important setting on your social media profile, you can always take out your phone, tablet or other amazing device and implement the changes you want straight away. All you need is a relatively decent device, that allows internet connection and of course flexible internet offers, such as the NBN plans that can also come with unlimited internet. If you come to think about it, today we have all the tools we need to stay on top of our professional game.
As much as you may hate hearing this, a fair amount of social media skills is preferred, regardless of the profession you have. Nowadays you can barely see the line between a company’s regular operational needs and its social media-related skills. Actually there are quite a few jobs in fields such as business development, media, communications, design, advertising and marketing where your tasks as an employee may very well borrow social media elements. A recruiter will often take these skills into consideration and a lack of them may leave you at a loss, in favor of the more social media-savvy millennials. This is why it’s crucial to simply embrace social media and let it shape your life, just like the internet did when it started gaining ground.
As we can see, both the employer and the employee can feel the effects brought on by this social media expansion we are currently noticing. Although changing with the times does require some initial effort, adapting to social media can prove to be beneficial, if its features are leveraged the right away. The work market will always ebb and flow, regardless of the new technological developments it is facing. This is why building a strategy that enables you to become part of this new game will not only show immediate results, but will also prove to be beneficial over the course of your professional career.
