Let's Chat: How to Get a Social Media Job

How did you find your social media job?

Share your job search tips with other social media managers.

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This oneā€™s been soaking all week, but the community must know! :space_friend:

Letā€™s tag in our @smirc crowd to get this thing^ going ā€¦

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I would really love to hear what everyone has here. I have been applying and applying, and I feel like I have gotten nowhere. I know I feel like I am missing something but I donā€™t know what it is.

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@bonnie For me, every job Iā€™ve had has been because of a network connection with someone hiring. Sometimes, itā€™s been someone in my direct network, and sometimes, itā€™s been a referral.

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I have been afraid that has been part of it. I started freelancing, working for smaller companies but most of my clients go decimated during the pandemic. And I have been told by multiple placement/recruiters that I need to rethink my career goals and realize I might not be suited for social media because the education/background (my BS was liberal studies and I learned everything as I went) and I havenā€™t been as good with networking and bragging about my work. - Maybe it is time to rethink the search and go back to the call center as one recruiter said this week. Sigh- Sorry I am sounding sad, but you helped me confirm what I was thinking about.

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I am a professor at a community college teaching social media, digital marketing and digital marketing analytics. Many of my students get part-time positions in social media through our schools career office. I find that many businesses reach out to colleges thinking that all young adults know how to do social media.

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I agree @carlsonm! Iā€™m a former college professor, and in the program I taught in, often, people would bypass the career office altogether and go straight to faculty! Do you find the same to be true in your program?

In our case, we would always share the opportunity with all students, but often, I would also send directly to specific students I knew were especially interested or qualified. Another reason I emphasized the importance of networking!

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@ruthbinman Yes. I get requests from companies directly and referrals from our campus career services. It always makes me feel good when students get connected to do something they are passionate about.

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Hi Bonnieā€¦sorry to hear you are struggling! Not sure your background and education really matter to be a social media manager! Donā€™t give up yet!

A couple of thingsā€¦
Where are you located?
Have you considered working remotely as a social media manager?
What types of jobs have you applied for?
Do you specialize in any type of client?

@bonnie you might also find value with this postā€¦itā€™s filled with lots of agency professionals from this community sharing their tips to get new clients

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Hi Ruth, - Here is a lot of the story. I know I kind of went off but any ideas you have I would be more than grateful.

quote=ā€œdeb mitchell, post:10, topic:1746, username:debā€]
Where are you located?- City of Roses- Portland Oregon

Have you considered working remotely as a social media manager? Yes, that is my preference. I was working remotely for five years in the Endurance Sports/Obstacle Course industry, and the pandemic squashed the industry like a grape. My primary client didnā€™t survive, and a lot of the industry is still trying to figure out what end is up. I never intended to start as a social media manager, but fate had other plans and I learned everything I could on the fly by listening to social media managers and taking every certification I could. I would take on extra projects just so I could learn more on my own.

What types of jobs have you applied for? Social Media and Community Management. Honestly, I LOVE community management. That feels like where I was meant to be, but most of these jobs come with a strategy on the side.

Do you specialize in any type of client? This is where it gets complicated. I was in the endurance sports industry and that industry is proving not to be sustainable. Two events I know of just suspended their schedules for now. The pandemic and inflation have done too much damage. So I am open to going into new directions.

To make a long story short, I left the mainstream job world about ten years ago to care for my aging father. The choice was either I do this or mom faces bankruptcy hiring people and placing him in homes. He was dealing with health issues, and I needed some flexibility. I worked part-time in some non-related positions and then freelanced in data research for a bit before transitioning to social media. The only reason I was able to transition took a chance on me, and I really did feel like I thrived. I took classes, listened into everything, took certifications, made many mistakes but adapted, taught myself canva, used every resource I could and fell in love with it. Started working with DECA students as a volunteer mentor helping them build business plans and marketing plans for competition (I mentored an ICDC champion, a 3rd place and four ICDC competitors) which taught me even more.

I know I can make a difference, but I have had recruiters say without a bachelorā€™s in Marketing and mainstream experience, I am a risk to hire. My answer is, if I donā€™t know something I am willing to ask, or step up and find something to teach me. I just need someone to take a chance on me.

I know I said a lot here, but there is a lot to my story and it honestly felt really good to put it all out there.

Thank you for listening.

[/quote]

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Hi Bonnie, I know what you mean. The pandemic destroyed my little social media agency here in the UK (Iā€™ve always worked remotely, had a remote team and worked with UK, US and EU clients). Several things happened: clients withdrew their marketing budgets and lots of people who had no/very little experience started offering social media services for ridiculously low fees so that I couldnā€™t compete with (despite offering a much more professional service that actually delivered results). My confidence plummeted too. But I persevered and got into online networking. Networking has seen a dramatic rise in popularity and there are tons of opportunities to meet people that we wouldnā€™t have been able to meet prior to the pandemic. Iā€™d thoroughly recommend getting involved in as many networking groups as you can (both online and ā€˜real lifeā€™ ones). 1. It helps gets you out of a rut and talking to people 2. I quickly realised that there were lots of business owners who were scared and had mounting pressures on their time and didnā€™t know what to do 3. As I practised my description of how I helped businesses, I felt I grew in confidence (yes, there were times I blushed, stuttered and wished Iā€™d said things differently - but thatā€™s all part of the process) 4. It is wonderful to see and hear how kind people are - we forget that and itā€™s important to get out and experience it and also give back kindness and a listening ear in return. 5. All the business Iā€™ve picked up since my original business crashed has been as a result of networking - Iā€™m not back to an agency styled business yet but Iā€™m heading that way ā€¦ and Iā€™ve re-evaluated what I want my business to look like. Iā€™m still working remotelyā€¦ and finally 6. I havenā€™t had to brag or show off or come across as a know-it-all - Iā€™ve listened and responded openly and honestly and people like that.
Apologies for the extra-long post but Iā€™d thoroughly recommend doing as much networking as you can. Even if you donā€™t stay in social media, youā€™ll make great contacts, some new friends and a ton of new ideas and thoughts. Would love to hear how you get on.

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Thanks for sharing! Iā€™ve worked in marketing for over 25 yearsā€¦many as owning my own business. Itā€™s a hard roadā€¦but doable!

I think networking is super importantā€¦even if itā€™s in THIS community!

Maybe jobs without recruiters would help??
Maybe jobs at smaller companies?

Have you considered getting the Facebook Certifications?

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Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with @bonnie --loved reading it and congrats for picking things back up and moving forward! Weā€™re here to support you!

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