Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Social Media As A Career Option
Social Media can be a career option !
Interviewers note: I had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Miller who chats about when his interest in social media started and how he found out that social media could be a career option.
What did you study at University?
I studied History & Politics at University and then moved on to take a course in Public Relations. For me history was a really good starting point because it was a subject I thoroughly enjoyed and it helped develop my writing skills. This has been really helpful in my work in social media especially when it comes to writing interesting blog posts that encourage engagement and discussion. The course I took in Public Relations was heavily focused on social media because it is now one of the most important ways organisations communicate. It gave me the opportunity to learn about new and up and coming social networks. I remember looking at Pinterest which, at the time, was still largely unknown and it is incredible how quickly it has grown to become one of the major social networks people use.
How did your interest in social media start?
I have always had an interest in social media since I was young. The first social networks I remember using were Myspace and MSN Messenger followed by Facebook which I joined relatively early on. What I loved about using social networks was how easy it was to communicate with friends. Social networks also have a much more informal environment which is why I preferred using them compared to sending an email. Over the years I have joined Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogger and YouTube because they all offer different ways to communicate with people and are a great way of not only keeping up to date with current affairs and topical issues but also discussing them with other people and sharing opinions.
When did you think you’d like a career which involved social media?
I always enjoyed using social media in my personal life but at school when teachers discussed careers with me and my classmates social media was never mentioned. I was never really told that social media was a career option at school but at University I realised the great potential a career in social media had. Lots of companies were rapidly joining social networks but often did not have a clear plan on why they were using social media. Others were using social media but merely to promote themselves or just as another means of advertising. For me social media had always been about engaging with people and sharing content and when I started looking around for jobs I found that this is what a lot of companies were looking for people to do.
How did you go about starting your career in social media?
The first thing I did was to go through all my social networks to make sure they looked professional. On social networks which I used only for keeping in contact with friends and family I make sure they were private. It still amazes me how oblivious some job seekers are to the stuff they post online. One of the first things I do when researching a company is to look at their social media pages and employers do the same when looking at candidates so having professional looking social networks is extremely important. In terms of looking for a job I started a blog to show that I was dedicated and had an interest in a career in social media and also joined LinkedIn. After getting in contact with my local council they offered me an internship which gave me hands on experience of using social media for an organisation.
What is it you do today?
I am currently working for abbotFox estate agents in Norwich as a Community Manager. It is a social media focused role and I engage with local residents and businesses on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to promote the abbotFox brand and raise awareness. As well as this I write a weekly blog for the abbotFox website, help organise social media competitions and share content giving advice to people looking to move house. I also give guest lectures at my University about social media and its importance in communication strategies.
What drives you?
When working in social media I think it is really important to be passionate about the company you are working for. I grew up in London but moved to Norwich because when I studied at UEA I realised how amazing Norwich is and didn’t want to leave. abbotFox estate agents is an independent agent in Norwich which means that the work I do is about engaging with people in Norwich and also promoting the city which is something I really enjoy doing. As well as this I have been helping to promote the Norfolk Legends campaign which is run by abbotFox and helps raise money for a local Norwich charity and it drives me knowing that the work I am doing is helping people in Norwich.
Do you have a favourite platform, and if so why?
It is tempting to say that Facebook is my favourite platform because I have used it for a very long time and it is a great way of keeping in contact with friends and family. However, I would have to say that my favourite platform is Blogger. I think that writing a blog shows a real dedication to your industry because it does take a lot of time an effort especially if you are posting a couple of times a week. As well as sharing your own ideas Blogger makes it incredibly easy to keep up to date with blogs you are subscribed to. There are so many industry experts sharing their experience online completely for free in their blog and I think that it is just a fantastic resource and I would encourage anyone working in social media to join.
For anybody looking to get a social media based job what one piece of advice could you give?
I think the one piece of advice I would give is to show that you are passionate about using social media. There are many ways you can do this from writing your own blog, commenting on what other people share, engaging with people on Twitter etc. There is a huge amount of competition in the job market and I think that showing passion and enthusiasm really makes you stand out from the crowd.
Read more from Tim at Developing Conversations
Follow Tim on Twitter @timothyjohn91
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Julie Bishop Jobhop.co.uk
In:
- Social media