Learning how to showcase yourself online can lead to opportunities in real life. If you can build a profile for yourself online, it’s another way for potential employers to see what you’re all about it. This is about more than taking down pictures you wouldn’t want potential employers to see (although that’s worth doing if you have a public profile because they will find them), I’m talking about expressing yourself.
So we thought we’d share some top tips for using social media as a showcase for yourself:
- Don’t just post and then leave. Think of this as a conversation. You wouldn’t do that in real life. Comment on other people’s posts, engage with their successes, share interesting posts and callouts.
- Connect with people. It’s not just about what you post but it’s also about how you connect with other people. Connect to seniors in the industry, but also to your peers. Build your network. They could be in a position to offer you a job in the not too distant future.
- You don’t need to be on every social media platform out there. In fact, you don’t need to be on any at all. This isn’t to pressurise you to be on social media in a way you aren’t comfortable with, but to encourage you to make the most of what any social media platforms you are comfortable with could do for you. Don’t force yourself to get on TikTok if you aren’t comfortable making videos – you won’t use it, or worse, you’ll use it badly. If you love taking photos then Instagram is the place for you. If it’s all about the words, stick to Twitter or to LinkedIn.
- Tell a story about yourself. You can use your social media and public online platforms to tell a story about you are and what you could bring to a creative project or a team. Are you a filmmaker? Share, comment on and engage with posts from other filmmakers and film festivals. Tweet about your thoughts on that indie film you saw in East London and now think everyone should see. Share a behind-the-scenes reel of a project you’re working on if you’ve got permission to do so. If you’re an event organiser, put video clips of the events you go to on your Instagram story. Follow the organisers and tell them how much you loved it. Look at industry news outlets and share your thoughts on some of the key things happening in the industry on LinkedIn.
If you’re a Next Gen Member, you’ll also have an entry on our public online directory. This is a chance to talk about who you are and what you can do, to share your showreel or link an article you’ve written. Make the most of spaces like these, using them as free, public showcases to the industry. You never know who might click on your profile. What would someone think if they did? Would they offer you a job? If you’d like to add anything to your directory entry just drop us an email!