Seasoned professionals and those preparing to enter the world of work already understand the significance of a traditional resume or curriculum vitae (CV) for acquiring employment. A CV is a document that outlines a person’s educational and professional history, skills, and achievements.
However, in today’s hyper-connected world, a leveraged online presence is proving to be a much more effective CV for landing career-advancing opportunities. More importantly, with unemployment skyrocketing and poverty more than doubling in the last 6 years in Namibia, increasing our odds for landing career-advancing opportunities is now even more crucial in the current economic climate.
Whether you are a recent graduate, seasoned professional, or a student eager to find new opportunities and grow in your desired career or industry, social media is a helpful tool for landing career-advancing opportunities.
The Importance of Maintaining a Digital Presence for Job Seekers:
Dynamic HR expert, author, founder, and managing consultant of Hito HR and Training Consultants, Lisa Matomola, explained that social media plays a role for job seekers as some employers are very likely to do a media check on candidates.
“Because they want to find out who a candidate is beyond a CV and [beyond] the way they present themselves in an interview,” Matomola explained.
A CV might be enough, but one’s work being on social media is more sufficient as it provides 100% evidence, David Junias said. Junias is a writer, youth thought leader, and district consultant at the One Economy Foundation.
Key Social Media Platforms to Leverage for Career Growth:
Because potential employers and professionals from various fields have access to and use different social media platforms, every social media platform comes with advantages for job seekers regardless of their industry.
This includes widely used platforms such as Facebook, which is one of the most suitable for the majority of industries; Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram, which is specifically best for creatives; and LinkedIn, the largest professional network in the world.
The award-winning HR expert adds that LinkedIn is a platform where job seekers can leverage and network with those in their industries and with those they aspire to be. She places further emphasis on the platform’s key benefits for young aspiring professionals.
“On LinkedIn, you have the ability to reach out to future recruiters, mentors, and coaches,” the author lists. “There is also a learning platform called Learning and Development, where people can acquire [qualifications such as] certificates and take free open courses.”
Apart from these, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for job seekers, as companies, recruiters, and headhunters use LinkedIn to find candidates for specific jobs and contact them directly.
LinkedIn savvy, Junias highlights LinkedIn as the best showcasing platform where potential employers search for recruits and where they track the evidence that young professionals such as himself document and share on the platform. He shares that maintaining a digital CV has taken him to bigger stages in his career.
“I also write articles,” he says, which he shares on his platforms, and as a result, various professionals, including university lecturers, contact him for various opportunities such as speaking engagements. The writer has also been exposed to international opportunities due to the fact that there is evidence of what he does online. More notably, his current role at One Economy Foundation was a direct result of his strong digital presence and brand positioning.
HR consultant Matomola simply puts it, “LinkedIn is an app for one to be acquainted with what’s happening in the world from a global perspective,” and “LinkedIn is more authentic, easier to validate in a short period of time, as some social media platforms may be a bit prone to scamming and fraudsters.”
Career-Jeopardising Mistakes Commonly Made on Social Media:
One of the most common mistakes Matomola has picked up is the tendency of people to attack others online. “Unless you are planning to be a politician, there is really no need to be insulting people online,” she states.
Moreover, Matomola has observed people posting about their sexual desires on their social media pages. This showcases unprofessionalism, which the HR expert strongly advises against.
“At times people believe that they are hiding behind a ghost account. But it’s now easier to actually trace who is who behind [different] accounts,” Matomola points out. Commonly too, she has observed how some people try to separate themselves from their digital activities, claiming that ‘who they are on social media is not who they are in real life.’ “But the two can’t actually be separated,” she stressed.
Another common mistake young professionals make is underestimating the power of leveraging social media and branding themselves strategically for career success. Right now the digital world is very important, Junias stresses.
“If you are doing things [career and personal brand-targeted activities] in everyday life without documenting them, you are missing out on opportunities,” he warns. He further emphasises that aspiring professionals should always have something that they are doing, ideally within their desired career path.
“They should document what is happening in their industry. Inspire and provide evidence of the impact they make. That’s how you get noticed,” the writer and consultant shares. Matomola also expressed her understanding that some people are reluctant to put themselves out there online.
“I encourage that [at least] once in a while you just be active and post. It’s a way to sell and brand themselves because a post can go viral and your future employer can notice you,” she motivates.
It is also true that despite the world becoming more digitised, there are still people with limited access to reliable internet connectivity and proper devices. However, aspiring young professionals can still try to work around this to leverage the effectiveness of the digital space for their career growth.
Social media savvy Junias started using social media in high school despite not having a phone himself nor did any of his family members have smartphones at home. Junias didn’t let this hinder him and instead utilised the free computers and internet at his local community library to log in on social media, even though, at the time, social media wasn’t about showcasing work and expertise.
There are numerous establishments that offer free Wi-Fi and access to devices, such as the #Be Free Youth Campus, local community libraries, and, for students, their respective institutions’ libraries and internet access.
“Where we are now in terms of the world of work is automation. Everything is digitalised now, from job applications to webinars. Everything is becoming more online, so there must be that online presence,” Matomola highlights.
“LinkedIn can be intimidating, but everybody started as interns, inexperienced, and we didn’t know what to say. But as you build your work experience and exposure, you become that professional with a digital CV that everybody wants to look at.”
Lisa Matomola.
Author and HR consultant Matomola’s advice for those who might be insecure or reluctant to start building and leveraging their digital CV is to be bold.
“Sometimes you can be the best, but if you’re not bold, you miss out on opportunities,” she says, adding that there are people on these various platforms either scouting for talent or ready to provide young people with opportunities.
Unfortunately, the risk involved in not being proactive in maintaining a digital presence is missing out on potentially life-changing connections and opportunities.
Have questions or need resources? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help.
