What should you include on your social media CV?

By Amy @BubbleJobs

Whether you’re just breaking into the social media industry or you’ve been working in it for a few years, progressing in this competitive field can be tough. From fighting off highly-experienced candidates to drawing a blank in an interview, getting a new job in social media can be challenging – and the problem is, because it’s so new, there isn’t really much advice out there to help you!

Enter Bubble! Yep, we thought it was about time we showed what kind of things you should be putting into your social media CV to give you the best chance of success. Some of the things we discuss might seem obvious but we know from personal experience that sometimes they’re definitely overlooked and/or forgotten.

First up, include links to your own personal social media profiles. Yep, it might be one of the most obvious ones but it’s always worth reminding you. You might think that if you’ve already got professional social media experience only the accounts you’ve worked on but will be reviewed but think again! In addition to looking at your professional profiles, most employers will take a cheeky look at the personal accounts of any potential candidates to give them a snapshot into their personalities.

Of course, if you’re serious about a career in social media your personal profiles will be pretty active, will show an impressive number of friends/followers and should be relatively ‘clean’ – you know, not full of expletives or obscenities! Remember, it’s all about looking professional and portraying a positive image at all times – after all, this is what you’ll need to do for any brand that employs you! Remember to always include links to your profiles on your cover email too – this will remove an extra step and might encourage an employer to give you a chance.

Next up, it’s time to show your passion for social media. From including ‘social media’ and ‘engaging in online conversations’ in your ‘interests’ section to discussing how you want to forge a successful career in social media in your opening statement, little things can go a long way on a digital CV – particularly if you’re the only candidate that has tailored their CV for a social media job.

If you don’t feel like you have enough space on your CV to express your passion for social media, include it in your cover letter or alternatively put it all in an additional document which you can submit with your application. Talk about which social networks you use, what you like/dislike about them and how you see social media changing in the future – this will show you’re really committed to a career in social media and should help to demonstrate your real passion for the subject. Similarly, try to talk about using social media for business purposes – outline which business accounts you follow, why and what you think they do well – this will demonstrate your knowledge of social media as a professional marketing tool.

If you’ve worked on any professional campaigns, it’s time to show off. Although it can be hard to measure the success of a social media campaign because it’s less quantifiable than things like PPC and even SEO, there are some figures you can pull out which should help to show growth and development. First up, talk about what fan/follower numbers were when you started compared to what they are now. Go into detail about how you managed to attract and maintain these numbers (without giving away all your secrets!) and how ‘on target’ these fans/followers were for the brand in question – did you target them directly or promote something which appealed to them?

Your CV is also the perfect place to discuss any strategies which you have helped to create and implement. Obviously you don’t want to give everything away but you can tease potential employers with the promise of what you’ve played a part in in the past and what you can bring to their company.

In addition to tailoring your CV for the job in question, there are some other things you can do to make yourself stand out to potential employers. First up, engage with them on their social media accounts. From simply becoming a fan/follower to directly contacting them just to say ‘hey, great job etc’, it’s good to show you’ve already made a connection to the company in question and registered on their radar – doing this will also show you’ve made an effort to check out their social media profiles and demonstrate you have a genuine interest in their business.

Also, be sure to write a concise, well-written cover email/letter (or both!) which is free of spelling and grammar mistakes. Be confident (but not arrogant) about why you would make the perfect candidate and what you can offer that other candidates can’t but be realistic – it’s good to be ambitious but don’t promise something which you know you won’t be able to deliver!

So there you have it; some useful CV and application tips to bear in mind next time you apply for a social media job! If you cover everything we’ve discussed, there’s a good chance you’ll get an interview and then it’s all up to you!

Tags: how to get a job in social media, social media CV, social media CV tips, social media jobs

About the Author

Amy Edwards Amy Edwards is the SEO Manager for Bubble Jobs. With a strong background in online content and copywriting, Amy is responsible all the on-site and off-site SEO of Bubble Jobs and the Bubble Jobs blog. You can follow her on Twitter here or add her to your circles on Google+ here.