You look at yourself in the building’s reflection and give yourself a last-minute pep talk. You can do this; they’ll love you, you think. You can ace this, and they will be impressed by you. As you push through the glass doors, your stomach drops. Although this is your third job interview of the day, the feelings of nervousness and anxiety never truly go away. You tighten your grip on your resume and head towards the front desk with a warm smile on your face.
Before social media, this was the process people endured when trying to find a job. They printed out their resumes, secured an interview either in-person or via an actual phone call, and answered questions in a way that would hopefully convince the potential employer that they, in fact, were the best fit for the job. Yes, countless people still land a job following these same, seemingly antiquated steps today, but as social media increasingly becomes second nature, many people are shifting their career goals to more media-based areas. Why?
Posting an Instagram photo takes about fifteen seconds; posting an Instagram photo with a clever caption takes about one minute. People “tweet” as they go about their day, and update their followers in the form of “stories” that people can sift through. Everyone has something specific they are interested in, be it traveling, sports, politics, or food. All of these various areas of knowledge can be shared in one common way: through social media.
Regularly posting what you are passionate about will one day catch the attention of others. This could mean 1.2 million people, 116k people, or 5,700 people. Either way, having followers eventually leads to sponsored posts and collaborating with different companies that are situated within the same industry you are passionate about. This allows you to become your own “boss” and decide not only who you want to work with, but also when and where you want to work. Instagram feeds can be just as effective as a typed resume with your GPA stamped on it.
This new way of business doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve become lazy and don’t want to work. Contrary to popular belief, maintaining a social media profile across various platforms, or even just one platform, takes immense time and effort. Many people have ditched their day jobs so that they can focus on their profiles full-time. This new way of building a career shows that our culture has changed to create a society that finds immediate reassurance and feedback as the natural way of life. We live in an extremely fast paced society and prefer direct response to our work over reporting to someone else at a company every day. Taking this leap into the realm of social media businesses requires risk and dedication, but when the resources are at the touch of your fingertips, it’s hard to resist giving it a try.