Considering a change in career? Have you considered how social media can help? In 2020, social media networks are being used for more than simply connecting with friends, sharing memes or scrolling through viral videos. Today’s digitally connected world offers an array of opportunities for career changers to use social media to their advantage.

Here are six ways that you can use social media as a working professional, to help build a bridge for career change. 

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1. Research your new career path

The first way that social media can help you with career change, is with research.Before and during your career transition, researching and immersing yourself in potential new industries may go a long way in helping you figure out if a move to a particular sector is aligned with your authentic self  and if the industry or role truly is for you.

You can use LinkedIn to find out more about a chosen industry and its various stakeholders by viewing the employees of a chosen company or exploring the various job vacancies they are advertising. Look at the profiles of professionals already in your dream job to understand the path they took to get there, what qualifications or certifications they have and what responsibilities their job entails.

2. Learn and develop your knowledge

Social media can also help you learn and develop your expertise in a new field.There's lots to learn from respected and seasoned professionals in your potential new industry and social media is a great place to access their indirect mentorship. Industry influencers, experts and thought leaders in specific career fields are likely posting valuable content and referencing helpful resources that you can learn from. 

Try searching for hashtags relevant to career paths of interest or search for the social media profiles of experts who you look up to for some insider knowledge and insight.

3. Highlight your transferable skills

Once you have identified the sector you want to transition to, one common challenge of career change is that you presumably won’t have experience in your new chosen field. However, this doesn’t mean that you haven’t already developed an array of valuable skills that are suited to your new career path. When looking for a job in your new career, highlighting your transferable skills is crucial.

Social media can help you showcase your transferable skills to potential employers,recruiters and hiring managers. Take some time to reflect on the key skills you have mastered throughout your current career and consider which of these skills are suited to your chosen career path. Once you’ve identified these skills, you can start using your social media profiles to showcase them. You can start by simply mentioning these skills in your LinkedIn profile. If you are an active and confident social media user, you can also consider posting about your expertise around these skills, telling stories to your connections about how you developed these skills or even offering tips and advice for others on howto refine these skills.

4. Emphasise your Unique Selling Points (USPs)

Your USPs can be used to create an impression and image of yourself to portray to others and can be a key element in professional success. Identifying your USPs simply means highlighting the particular talents and skills which you can bring to the workplace which are unique to you. This will allow people to gain an insight into who you are via the way you portray yourself and what you bring to your work. Although this can require a lot of thought and effort, the benefits of taking control of the way you are perceived are often well worth it. 

Creating your image for social media in a way that is authentic requires a high level of self-awareness. Here are 3 questions to enhance self-awareness for career change. When changing careers, you may want to begin aligning your USPs with your new professional direction. Once you have defined your career move, you can start off simply by posting content about your new field of work, engaging in conversations relevant to your industry of interest and sharing your opinion on related subject matter. 

5. Network and build connections

Relationships matter. While the most important thing is not always who you know, having connections and being part of a network when you’re pursuing a new career path might help ease the upheaval and uncertainty that accompanies career change.

Social media networks can be used to find other professionals in a new industry, find events and meetups in your area that you can attend and start building relationships with other like-minded professionals. 

6. Apply for relevant positions

Finally,following the process of defining your new direction, social media channels also offer job application opportunities. Both LinkedIn and Facebook have job sections that allow employers to advertise their available positions and job seekers to browse and apply for suitable roles. You can also keep an eye out for posts from recruiters and connections on LinkedIn about available positions, monitor industry groups for posts about job openings and browse the social media pages of companies you’d like to work for who might be advertising their vacancies.

Whether you’re in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s or 50's, it’s never too late to change direction in your working life to a path that is more aligned with your values, interests, passions and skills.Although social media is a great tool that might be able to help you along the way, if you’d like some professional help with your career change, our experienced career consultants can help you work through the process.

Get in touch to find out more about our four-step methodology that helps professionals increase self-awareness and create a practical plan for successfully moving through your career change.

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