4 Tips for Social Media Success

There’s a lot of talk about social media these days. Not only is it popular for personal use, but businesses are realizing the power and impact behind digital marketing. Despite the abundance of social media advertising information available, it can be hard to determine what you can do to leverage it for personal success.

In general, keeping social media current and frequently updated is key, especially if you hope to land a job in the digital marketing world. If not, it’s still important to keep your resume and work information current and your profiles professional.

  • For Facebook: Keep your info updated and professional. Did you know that you can add your past and current work experience to your profile? Beyond work, of course you can share personal information (that’s what Facebook is for!), but do your best to keep it as professional as possible and avoid photos and information that you wouldn’t want an employer to see.
  • For LinkedIn: This is your online resume, so take extra care to ensure it is current and written with quality. Use the personal Summary section to really shine, as it’s a great place to articulate what you bring to the table in paragraph format. LinkedIn is the ideal site to connect with influencers and decision-makers, so it’s crucial that your information is updated. For bonus points, update your LinkedIn profile with valuable, professional content daily or a few times per week.
  • For Twitter: If Twitter is applicable to a job you’re looking for, make sure you have a presence. If Twitter is of no interest to you, that’s still okay. It’s a great place to find out what is going on in the world through trending hashtags, and it’s another place to learn about companies and organizations. Most people only look to websites and Facebook for company information, but Twitter can give a truly unique insight. You can see how a company tweets and responds on Twitter, which is typically a good barometer of how they work offline.
  • For Google: Google and Google+ are rarely considered to be on the same level as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but they have their place. Google links your account to your Google+ profile and everything else you do on Google (Gmail, YouTube, etc.), so it’s important to have a presence. You can accumulate followers to share your posts and you can also follow other companies, people and organizations that interest you. Success with Google+ is an updated profile, using the +1 feature to show your appreciation for others’ content, and posting to your profile from time to time. Utilizing Google+ demonstrates a higher level of technological and social media knowledge that not everyone possesses.

Take the time to open these accounts and realize the power of social media advertising to gain that home-based job or more clients for your home-based business.

Check out these other great articles about marketing and social media as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of bplanet at freedigitalphotos.net)

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5 Tips For Your Best Resume

Resumes are the gateway to your new job! When applying for a home-based (or any) job, your resume is your first impression. You can make simple modifications to truly make your resume stand out while making yourself more appealing to the employer.

Follow the actionable tips below for writing a resume that shines above the rest:

  1. Highlight the Right Things: Resumes are typically a list of your job tasks, but that’s not all it should feature. Be sure to highlight your accomplishments and results from your job, not just what you did while employed. Always include numbers, statistics, and percentages when applicable, since that will function as proof of your ability to accomplish goals and projects. This is a bonus tweak that will take your resume from good to exceptional!
  2. Get Specific: Tailor every cover letter, resume and email to each one of your job applications. Yes, this takes more time, but it’s highly worth it! When you focus on each specific need and quality of the job posting and integrate it into your resume, you stand out. When you meet a specific criteria, use those exact words in your materials. It will show the employer that you pay attention and that the perfect employee is really out there!
  3. Be Honest: Of course you should never lie about past experience, but also be sure that you aren’t stretching the truth of your experience and accomplishments. You always want to make yourself sound great, but over-promising and stating that you can do things that you cannot will only land you in trouble later. It’s better to lack the skill in the beginning and be honest, since you can always learn new skills and improve yourself further.
  4. Stand Out: Are you creative? This is your time to show off! With new technology and programs, resumes aren’t all looking the same way anymore. From different shaped resumes to those that resemble Facebook profiles, there’s something for everyone. Especially when applying to creative-based positions, think outside the box and come up with something beyond the standard layout. This may not be needed for all industries, but if nothing else, you will certainly be remembered.
  5. Keep It Short and Sweet: Generally no more than two pages is just fine! You may have years and years of experience, but you must be concise. It’s tempting to think that a long resume equals better, but it’s often the opposite. Make your critical information easily visible and accessible, and remember to remove outdated and irrelevant job positions.

Resumes can be tough to perfect, but they’re so important! Making a solid first impression is crucial, and it will speak for you before you even have a chance to interview. Spend time on writing a resume now and your future job position will be that much easier to achieve.

Check out these other great articles about interviewing tips as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of phasinphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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