Recuiters are like Ostriches#
If they can’t see you, you don’t exist.
This is generally considered a bad thing if you want to be hired, as existing is usually listed under the “what we’re looking for in a candidate” section of a job posting. Keeping this in mind, as a creative, you should probably be looking to increase your visibility as much as possible, and creating an extensive online presence is a pretty good way to achieve that. This post will guide you through the treacherous waters of doing so, avoiding the shipwrecks, stormy weather and sea monsters of mediorcrity, and hopefully navigating to the glittering harbours of getting a job. So, with our metaphors thoroughly muddled, lets get to it.
Where to start#
There’s no shortage of websites you can use to promote yourself online, but not all of them are created equal. While it may be perfectly within your right to post your artwork exclusively on Myspace, Mumsnet and Tinder, it probably won’t get you many jobs (unless you manage to match with a recruiter).
Here are some alternatives:
Twitter#
Starting off with a controversial one, Twitter is one of the harder platforms to make a name for yourself on. There are half a billion active users, so standing out via quality isn’t easy. As such my advice is this: don’t. In all likelihood, there are already countless Twitter users who are far better than you, and if you only post your very best work once every few months, you will be quickly be washed away by the firehose of content from other users.
Instead, focus on consistency and frequency. Experiment with things, post work in progress screenshots and share tips and tricks. The idea is to produce enough content that people will be exposed to your work simply by chance.
This being said, it’s not an excuse to stop putting in effort into your work. It’s important to find the correct balance of being high quality enough to pique peoples interest, while also being frequent enough for people to remember your name. If you’re successful in this, Twitter can be a great place to advertise your skills, especially if you want to get work as a freelancer.
Other than that though, Twitter is a hell hole, so try not to use it in anything other than a professional capacity. And make sure not to use your personal account for this, most recruiters wont want to see your political hot takes from 10 years ago.
LinkedIn#
LinkedIn is like the weird cousin of the Social Media family. On the surface they seem perfectly nice, but after some talking you realise that the smile is fake and they hurt animals for fun.
Nevertheless, LinkedIn is also the place to go if you want to network with people in a professional setting, and as a result it is also the “social media” most likely to get your hired. Connections are best made in person, so attending in person events such as animation festivals, conferences and clubs is a great way to make more. Unfortunately though, this involves socialising, something which animators are not reknowned for.
When posting on LinkedIn make sure to never show any signs of weakness; negativity and humanity are not desirable traits in an employee, and as such are punished by the LinkedIn algorithm. Make sure to always put a positive spin on things; you weren’t “made redundant due to job cuts”, you’re “starting an exciting chapter of your life without employment”.
That being said, you should be careful not to get too sucked into the LinkedIn way of thinking, as people can smell a LinkedIn goblin from a mile away. These individuals are characterised by those who exclusively talk to the most “influential” people in a room in the hopes of boosting their popularity, and who unironically use phrases like “lets circle back on that”, “I’d love to mind meld with you sometime” and “Just to make sure we’re in alignment on the deliverable, I’d like to double-click with you later so we can ideate on how to close this loop”.
Just post your work there and try not to let it affect you too much.
