Sir, I am Very Active on Facebook. I Foresee a Great Career in Social Media !

A typical inbox with the name "Careers" is always overflowing with resumes in most of the cases. Some applications are rejected straight away without a second thought.

Some of them that are not, have been copy pasted from somewhere. So, they are shortlisted and interviews are lined up!

The following lines are based on true incidents, unfortunately.

There comes a cool dude in a 'being human' t-shirt, Raj!

Raj: Hi Sir, Good Morning!

Nitin: Hey Raj, Good Morning. Tell me, why do you want to join us?

Raj: Well, I foresee a great career in social media and the digital world.

Nitin: And why is it so?

Raj: I am very active on Facebook. Every single thing I do, I post on my profile!

Nitin: Hmm. Any other social media platforms you are active on?

Raj: Yes, of course! Twitter.

Nitin (a bit relieved): That's nice. So when was your last tweet?

Raj: Ummm... Well, a couple of months ago!

Nitin: Can you log on to your twitter account from my Laptop?

Raj: Sure.

After fiddling with it for a few minutes

Raj: Sir, I have forgotten my password!

Nitin: It's ok. I had checked your twitter account before you came. It has a total of 3 tweets & your account is protected!

Raj: Yes sir! I get so many follow requests from unknown people. And 'all' my tweets are personal. So I protected it.

Nitin: #facepalm

Nitin: Have you heard about Pinterest?

Raj: Yes. I have heard about it, but never logged into it!

Nitin: Hmm. So tell me your favourite social media brand!

Raj: Ahaaa.. Facebook!

Nitin: I mean, tell me which brand you follow on social media platforms? Which brand's social media presence do you appreciate the most.

Raj: Ohh that way. Its my locality's Facebook group. I am the admin & I follow it very religiously.

Nitin is about to faint by now!

Nitin: So how much do you expect?

Raj: At least 25k in hand. Social media is an ever growing industry. You charge your clients a bomb. I'll help you in forming 'strategies' for your client.

Nitin: Ok. We will get back to you!

*yet another chu-cial media fresher interview*

People should realize being active on Facebook doesn't secure them a career in the digital world. Although Facebook is obviously the biggest shark out there, but the other small ones are too good to be ignored!

Following are few tips for some social media aspirants and freshers!

Privacy Settings

Switch on the privacy settings on your Facebook. Don't let an HR stalk your Facebook profile. It gives a sneak peek into your personal life, even before knowing you professionally. It might end up creating a bad impression.

However, don't protect your tweets. Don't tweet if you feel the need to protect it!

Tweet meaningfully

We understand you love Poonam Pandey, but if most of your tweets are directed to her to post some pictures of hers online, then I guess, Poonam Pandey can only save you.

Follow relevant people.

Again, if most of the people you follow are spammers, we would understand, you are in the classic trap of I follow you & you follow me back!

Follow good brands

Some brands are doing very well on social media. Follow them. Take part in various twitter contests to understand how are they conducted. Not for getting that stupid goodie bag!

Timing

Timing on social media is very crucial. It can be compared with radio time slots. Prime time being Peak hours & post dinner. You can't tweet/post every thing at a go. It should be time spaced at regular intervals!

Research

Read a lot of articles on social media. If twitter announces a 'Me' tab & a header photo, it should be up on your profile in 24 hours maximum.

Explore

Social media is much more than Facebook. Explore various other social media platforms. There is so much to explore in the social world. Having said that, not being abreast with Facebook changes is not the right way to go.

Appear

Be active on various social media portals like Social Samosa. Take part in relevant discussions - comment, post, debate.

Every Digital Agency is flooded with resumes of social media ‘freshers’. The only way to stand out is to dive deep into the social world. The above 8 points will give you an edge over other ‘freshers’!