Why Employers Want Millennials With Social Media Skills

1- Sign up, sign in, contribute content that employers will find meaningful, and then get ready for an exciting, new career. – Courtesy photo / Dylan Plautz

Socializing on social media is a way of success

By Monica Sanchez

In the age of technology when social media is king, millennials are the most sought after job candidates. For many though, they certainly don’t feel that way. The moment of truth hits millennials when they finally walk across stage and gracefully accept that diploma, heavy with blood, sweat, and tears. After stepping down, there is the realization of “What’s next?”

This fear of obtaining job security with an annual salary or even any type of employment in an economy where most entry-level positions require 3-5 years of experience is enough to cause some millennials to scream into a pillow until they’ve exasperated the breaking point of their capacity to handle stress. What a lot of millennials may not realize is that they actually have a huge advantage skill-wise compared to older or supposedly more experienced job candidates. Why? Well, millennials can thank their long days and nights dedicated to filters, hashtags, and keeping up with trends. Millennials’ passionate love of social media has unwittingly made them the perfect job candidate in the age of technology.

Gone are the days when social media in the workplace is seen as completely taboo. Corporate America has embraced social media and caught up with the times by using it to its advantage to target and increase customer outreach. Due to social media, “we have behavioral, preference, demographic data for hundreds of millions of people, which is unprecedented in history,” said Jennifer Golbeck, computer scientist, in her Ted Talk: The curly fry conundrum: Why social media “likes” say more than you might think.

As Golbeck explains, it only makes sense that companies would use that free information to their advantage, but the only way to take advantage of such information is by having technologically-savvy people in one’s employ.

This is a consumer-based economy, and social media has transformed beyond a basic platform of communication and into a way to reach customers and expand the market for companies. If it’s still hard to believe how much social media has conquered the world we live in, just know that people cannot even use certain apps unless they have a Facebook account to verify their identity. Any employer can easily see the long-term benefits of using social media to grow their company and expand their clientele. As long as a person has basic computer skills and can run circles around online interaction across multiple social media accounts, then employers will look more favorably upon that job candidate than a person who has no social media presence whatsoever.

A positive, active presence on social media is proof to employers that a person can handle any task assigned to them. Katherout, Youtube advice, college, and lifestyle guru, says “if you can consistently post and be active on a few key social media sites, that can actually show employers that you’re digitally literate, you’re plugged into trends happening online, [and] that you can handle a project for months and months at a time.”

While millennials know how to navigate the ins and outs of social media, some may be unsure of how to use it for their benefit in the competitive job market.

Here’s Some Quick Tips to Improve One’s Social Media Presence In Order to Score That Dream Job:

• Post content relevant to the sought after job.
  • When posts relate directly to a job position, it demonstrates to employers that a candidate has a high level of interest in their industry and are serious about excelling if hired. It’s best to post positive or serious content as opposed to beach selfies and nights stamped with regret. Also, remember to avoid personal bias with written content in order to prove an ability to maintain a professional demeanor.
• Review grammar and spelling.
  • Have someone check grammar and spelling on any post before uploading it to social media. The goal is to provide employers with samples of digital literacy and high-quality written communication skills. Speaking of communication, avoid slang or text-speak unless it directly relates to the industry of interest.
• Include visuals.
  • Posting relevant industry images or videos proves that a potential job candidate knows how to find engaging content for customers. Writing captions below visuals is also a great way to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the product or industry.
• Incorporate hashtags.
  • Make sure to include hashtags so people can find your posts. Above all else, it is vital to demonstrate that you are able to generate discussion around a given topic. Doing so through hashtags is akin to producing cheaper commercials that spread the message faster.
• Give credit where credit is due.
  • Credit photographers for their images or companies who made products in your posts. This is an easy and simple way to demonstrate professionalism and prove that you are respectful of others, and therefore, will be respectful in the workplace as well.

When you practice online behaviors such as these, it heightens your professionalism to employers. While professionalism is key, remember that the main goal is to generate discussion around a specific topic. Whichever person is able to better demonstrate that they can create buzz around a company’s product or service is going to land the job. The fact of the matter is that millennials are simply better prepared to meet these corporate needs, and the rest of society should take cues from their generation in order to succeed in a competitive job market.

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