Do you need a social media presence to get a job in social?
A few weeks ago, Rachel Karten posted about this same question. I hadn’t even read the article before my opinions and perspective started buzzing around in my brain.
This question has come up a lot in hiring discussions and consulting situations, and unsurprisingly, I have a strong opinion on the topic.
But here’s why my opinion should matter to you, oh internet people, especially if you’re hunting for a job in social media or looking for advice on how to hire someone in a social role: I’ve been in digital and social since before Facebook bought Instagram.
Not only I have I seen the evolution of the platforms themselves, but the evolution of the workforce. Hell, I’ve witnessed the emergence of an entire industry!
I’ve built three content teams. I’ve interviewed, hired, fired, mentored, led, networked, learned, admired…basically anything involving people in the social media industry, I’ve seen and done.
Needless to say, I’ve been around the block and seen all the personalities and how they come out at work.
More and more, candidates and employers are wondering if a social presence is needed to be hired for a job in social media.
But first…
What do we mean by ‘social presence’?
When I say, “have a social presence” in this context, I’m talking about influencer-levels of followers, evidence of brand deals or sponsored content, or other signs of individual success on a social media platform (profitable or not). It means you have more people than just your mom and college friends following you, and most are strangers to you in real life.
You’re known for something online, whether it’s your outfit-of-the-day posts or the videos of you mixing different colors in to paint to see what comes out. (God, the Internet is weird.)
So do you need a lot of followers to get a job in social?
I can definitively say, no, you do NOT need a lot of followers to get a job in social.
In fact, if you have a lot of followers, unless you’ve done work with brands and companies in industries that are vastly different from your personal brand, I probably* wouldn’t hire you for anything but an entry-level position. (And even then, are you going to be a pain in the ass who thinks you know everything? Please don’t be that teammate. Stay humble, kids.)
Why? There’s a huuuuuuge difference between making content you’re naturally interested in and making content for small brands in industries you know nothing about.
I’d argue that it’s infinitely harder.
Think about this: let’s say you’re a beauty influencer. Or maybe you’re a gaming live streamer and you have a big YouTube following, too.
How would you take your content and your strategy and apply it to…say…IOT computer engineering? Or a car dealership? Or a SaaS tool for IT scoping? (By the way, these are all examples of clients I’ve worked with in a small agency setting.)
These things are MUCH more niche or B2B based than the type of content many influencers are posting about, and things that work in a hobby context are not likely to be as effective or applicable on the business side.
*Now, if you convince me that you can translate your knowledge and experience into the existing agency roster or company purpose, then you probably have a GREAT shot at getting hired. But not all social content experience is equal or applicable to all companies or industries.
To get a job in social, you should be a lover and a user of social media.
I was going to write “must” instead of “should,” but there are companies who will hire you without this requirement, as long as you’re a culture fit and seem like a smart cookie.
But in my opinion, there’s a MASSIVE difference between:
Someone who’s applying for a job in social and thinks they fit the requirements and can do a good job, and
Someone who’s applying for a job in social because they love the medium, hang out on it often, and just get the vibe…and thinks they fit the requirements and can do a good job.
I want the #2s on my talent roster—and here’s what that means to me.
The social presence of a GREAT social media candidate
Not all of these are requirements—it’s good to leave room for learning. But these are the general things I look for when I’m doing my research, and if I see most of them, I know I probably have a fantastic candidate on my hands.
You browse social media regularly. Do you know how many people I’ve interviewed for a social job who said they didn’t spend a lot of time on social because they liked to do other things or they found it mentally draining? Or how many couldn’t say what platform was their favorite? Y’all. I hate to tell you this, but if you have a job in social, being in the platforms will be your life. I’m looking for people who enjoy scrolling and browsing. You send things to friends and family. You look up things to do on your next trip via social. You shop on social. I’m looking for people who make social a part of their life.
You enjoy posting a variety of content on your social media. Read: not just pics of you, your friends, your dog, or monthly recap carousels. You can find interesting POVs in your every day life. You’re playing around with Stories and Reels and saving highlights. You’re making TikToks. You know what to tap to save a sound or song you like, and start to think about ways to use it. Your content doesn’t need to have a million views—fun fact, even stellar content can go unseen in the depths of the Internet—it just needs to exist so I can get a sense of your eye and creativity.
You have platform/content appropriate captions. You know when to use a short caption vs. a long one. You’re not just 💩 posting inside jokes or things like “great weekend with the girls!” I can see your wit and thought process here. I can tell you think deeper than just the surface. And, look—not everything needs to be profound. I say that to my clients. But I want to see a mix of profound and ‘there for the vibes.’
You have an eye for quality. Yeah, the Instagram aesthetic isn’t what it used to be, but I do want to see what kind of eye you have. Are your pictures clear? Are your videos more than just a side-to-side pan? Do you pay any attention to lighting, even in the smallest of ways? I notice these things.
You know what’s trending—and not just memes, songs, and pop culture moments. The content trends are important, but I’m talking about the pieces inside the content. You have an attention to detail that helps you see what makes social feel like social. You instinctively know how people are framing their vids to get around all the ads and sidebars. You see people holding lav mics instead of putting them on their shirt and it doesn’t bother you because it’s normal behavior in this medium. You notice the way captions interact with on screen text. You notice the style of caption and the way it moves.
Qualities I’ll encourage in EVERY social media candidate
Attention to detail and creativity is only one part of a job in social. But whether you’re looking to start your career in social or move on to your next opportunity, there are a few things I encourage you to adopt:
Be a galvanizer and build up your team and ideas. Social is at once a TON of fun and a huge grind. Don’t let the grind part get you or anyone else on the team down.
Be humble and willing to learn. Even if you spend a ton of time on the platform or have grown your own following, be open minded and willing to learn from experienced professionals in the industry.
Be willing to humbly share what you know. Look, I’ve learned a TON from junior level or entry level staff. In fact, some of the best, most innovative ideas or observations can come from them and I will never discount a smart, creative, and brave employee. But also recognize your way isn’t the only way.
Be willing to compromise and experiment—and know when to stand up for what you believe in. Part of growing and working on a team is a willingness to get other input on ideas and not get too attached to your ideas. Learn to take creative direction, but also learn to stand up for the things you really believe in. How can you sell the vision? But also…what hills are you willing to die on? Choose carefully. A good manager will know what ideas to back and which to lead you away from.
No matter what, read this.
Ultimately, there’s one thing you need in order to be successful in social media: you need to be excited about it. Yes, you can do plenty of jobs without having passion, but social media isn’t one of them.
If you don’t love it, this can be an incredibly draining profession. And yeah, not every day is going to be sunshine and roses—there’s rarely a job where that holds true—but you have to be on.
You have to have attention to detail.
You have to be okay with seemingly menial tasks (hunting down usernames/handles, copying/pasting content from a planning sheet to a platform/scheduler).
You have to have a tough shell, because everyone is going to have an opinion on social and How You Can Do It Better.
You have to be okay with things you love failing…because it’s always the posts you spend time and energy on that don’t do as good. (It’s like a social media metaphysical law or something.)
And if you’re able to do that, you’re going to kill it.
A weird little niche I carved out for myself is being a contact/mentor for college kids who want to do things their parents are convinced won’t make them money (ie, writing, social media, creative careers).
If you (or your kid, or someone else in your life) want to talk about how to make it work, shoot me a message—I’m always open for coffee chats, whether in person or virtual.
