What social media do I use and for what said usage?

Recently, I was out with friends and, as we were sitting around in a Starbucks, we realised we all had our smart phones out. And, as we talked about social media and our constant need to check what was happening on there, we concluded that each app and each network were completing each other but were also offering different things and that we all “needed” the variety of online feeds.

Allow me to explain to you how I use my social accounts and why I need all of them…

Facebook: 

When Facebook arrived in Europe, we all got swiped off our feet. It was new, it was fun and…it was quite silly. If you remember well, you could have a virtual fish tank and your friends could offer you more fish. We all got way too eager to share our lives and pictures on the social network (see what I did there?!) and some got quite a vile backlash from it. Still, we stayed on Facebook, kept on stalking our friends and exes, kept on updating on our daily routine and kept on posting pictures.

Now, I feel Facebook is the old reliable. I personally use it to stay in touch with my friends back home, to send group message and to share content that I find funny or interesting. But I am not as active as I used to be and, as I grow older, I find pictures of weddings, houses and babies quite annoying…

Twitter:

Twitter is magical in the way that it connects all of us, across the world. The information travels fast and you can get updates straight from your fave celebrity. But you are also drowned into the mass of users and it is quite hard to gain followers and make yourself heard. I love Twitter because I get to know what is happening pretty much as it is happening. And, recently, my country got a chance to demonstrate its sense of humour despite the sad times we are experiencing. When Brussels was locked down, the police asked everyone to remain quiet about what was unravelling in town. So, my people started tweeting pictures of…cats! And, boy, did we have a laugh!

Instagram:

This is THE place to express the artsy, hipstery side of your personality. You can show and tell the world: what you cooked for dinner, the fancy party you were invited to, the famous person you met randomly on the street, your furry friends, a view, etc.

What I find hilarious with Instagram is the use (and abuse) of hashtags. I enjoy hashtagging everything and anything that is in my pictures. I find it funny and surprisingly effective. It is also amazing to keep an eye on trends and fashion and to get makeup envy. A word of advice: do not believe that what you see on Instagram is 100% real life. Many people fake an exciting life, but it is just good angles and decent filters. Some celebrities are giving it their all and it is inspiring to see how they brand themselves using only pictures and a few words. You can also follow dogs, cats, hamsters and so on. And, when you are waiting for the bus under the rain, it comes in very handy.

LinkedIn:

I think this one is imposing itself on us. You sort of need to have a LinkedIn profile because recruiters are constantly lurking on there and, if you want to be seen and considered for a job, this is the way to go. You can also get random job offers appearing on your timeline, a job offer that probably never makes it to Monster or Reed.

If you follow companies or people who do the same job as you (or the job you wish you were doing), you can get really interesting articles and information about your industry. I am into…guess what? Social media! and I get a lot of useful advice and tips.

It is a bit daunting to put up a profile because you have to go over every single job you have ever had and you have to go into detail. But once it is up and running, it is easy to maintain. And it will soon become a reflex to update your profile and scroll through your feed.

That is how I use my social media accounts. I know I have left some out like Pinterest, Vine, Periscope, Snapchat, Boomerang, Google +, Vimeo and Youtube. But I thought I would tell you about those I actually use on a daily basis.

Please do share how you are using your social networks; I am sure you are doing it differently ;-)

My job search 2.015

 Two months ago, I finished my temporary mission at Reservoir Dogs Day care. I had good hopes it’d be slightly longer than it actually was so I didn’t really planned the rest ahead. Since then, I have been sending CVs and applications like crazy and I landed a 10-days job at Ogilvy & Mather. I have had 12 interviews in the last four weeks.

What have I learned so far?

-       Getting a good/decent job is hard.

-       Every interview is different and, no matter how well prepared you are, the interviewer will always find a way to make you lose balance. The trick is to turn negative into positive.

-       It is very rare to receive feedback. You will usually be told that there was a candidate that was slightly more experienced than you. And curse him/her for stealing the job!

-       You will get calls from scam companies, even when you stick to big websites like Reed or Monster. I have found this very accurate testimony and can only advise you to follow this Facebook group to prevent any loss of time, energy and money.

-       Being rejected is hard. You put a lot of effort, sweat and hopes in every application and in every interview. It is ok; the right job will come along eventually. Allow yourself a bit of mourning then, dust yourself up and get back in the saddle!

-       Being rejected by your dream company; twice in the space of ten months is insanely hard. It is a pill I still find difficult to swallow.

-       Recruiters can be like fairy godmothers…or like Maleficent. Do not take it personally.

-       You cannot give up! Ever! Because you could be so very close to getting a great job. And because, as long as there is hope, there is a chance that things might turn around.

Job-hunting is like a job in itself. And it is a hell of a tough one!

It will make you feel down, useless and worthless. But, as I said just a few lines ago, you cannot give up on your dreams, on yourself.

My advices are:

- Make a CV that you like and aimed at the career you want. Use Google to find examples and create your own design (I worked on mine for a whole week but I have the satisfaction of being a proud mum! No pre-made templates, it is all mine!).

- Get in touch with an advisor from the National Careers Service: it is free and they will give you great tips on how to create your CV, how to word your professional experience and how to behave in an interview.

- Find support from your friends or family. Even better: if you have a friend who is looking for a job, get together in a nice café and work as a team. It will keep you energised and motivated.

- When you feel you’ve written a great cover letter, save it and use it as a template. You can alter it from application to application and it will save you time.

- Do send some spontaneous applications. Do not make it a priority but do it, especially if you are aiming at a certain type of company. 

- Allow yourself some time off. Sending applications is daunting: it can take time (damn online forms), it can be boring or you can feel you don’t find any new job ads to apply to. One of the perks of being unemployed is that you can do things when everyone else is at work. So, go visit that museum, go to the cinema, go to that pub, go for a walk…

- Do not lose hope! I am often close to a breaking point where I feel like I am never going to get back to work, that I should go home to my parents and wait for death in my bed. But, I refuse to give up on me and on my dreams. I’ve wanted to make a life in London since I was 18 and, even if I have to force myself down on you, you will have to deal with me, United Kingdom!

Let’s keep our fingers crossed, our chins high and our hopes high in the sky! We will make it!