Since its inception in the middle of the 1960s, its definition—the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business—has barely changed. However, what a transformation the act has undergone in just the past decade or so! People have been using the power of their social networks for more than just stalking ex-partners and keeping in touch with old friends in the rapidly expanding age of social media. More and more, these tools are being used in a professional sense.
If you do this right, you might be able to land your dream job or build up a network of worthy professionals with whom you can exchange leads, share knowledge, and build up partnerships.
Make a tidy. The first step in successfully creating a professional network on social media is to clean up your profile. Start using good social media etiquette if you haven’t already, and delete anything you wouldn’t want a potential boss to see. In the future, either do not post it or become extremely knowledgeable about privacy settings if it is not something you would want a coworker to see or use to form an initial impression of you. Which is it? There are numerous social networks available, but which one do you select? Should you merge your personal and professional lives by using Facebook, or should you build a great network of connections on a site focused on professionals like LinkedIn? Your objectives will ultimately determine which website you select. LinkedIn: Professional Growth and Job Search LinkedIn is a great way to connect with professionals in your field or find a new job at the most cutting-edge design company in your city. It gives you numerous opportunities to market and brand yourself. You can demonstrate your abilities, skills, and completed projects. After you have set up your own account, you can look into other people to see if you want to connect with them. Before you try to reach out to a new group, it’s a good idea to connect with friends, family, former professors, and current coworkers. A solid foundation can be built upon this. The potential connections you already have within reach might surprise you! Twitter: Connecting with Powerful People If used correctly, Twitter can actually be the best tool for getting to know influential people in your field. It makes it easy to integrate with hashtags, which can quickly reach a large number of people. With Twitter, building the “professional” aspect is more difficult than with LinkedIn. The ability to personalize your profile is one of Twitter’s greatest strengths. Your brand can benefit from the tagline you use on your page, the tweets you send, and the people you follow. A more dependable brand may attract more connected followers with whom you can interact. Facebook: The Network of Nothingness In general, I wouldn’t recommend using Facebook as your only social media platform. Because it is such a personal network, it might be difficult for you to “friend” people you want to connect with but have never met or know well. Messages sent to people outside of your connections actually cost money, not some strange Facebook currency. Also, if a friend from college posts pictures and tags you as the drunken maniac at that party ten years ago, there’s a chance of all kinds of disasters. Facebook, on the other hand, is effective for some people. It’s a great way to interact with small and medium-sized brands that already use Facebook but don’t have the resources to run a Twitter or LinkedIn page. Additionally, if some of your connections are so extensive that you would happily classify them as both friends and business associates, you are welcome to become friends with them on Facebook. Interactions
You want to keep your relationship with people once you get to know them. Maintain professionalism. There are, of course, some exceptions to the “keep it professional” rule; however, you should avoid doing anything that will damage relationships.
