How To Become a Social Media Manager With No Experience

The social media manager role is constantly evolving. Usually, this position sits under marketing or communications and primarily focuses on social media campaigns and analytics. 

So as a new social media manager, how can you make your resume stand out from others? Especially when you may have limited or even no experience in the industry? The trick is to focus on how you describe your skills and achievements. With a little effort, you can create a resume that catches the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

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Six top skills for social media managers

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So much goes into a successful social media operation. For a social media manager role, the skills you list should be realistic and relevant. We’ve pulled together a list of possibilities for describing your skill set that will hopefully give you ideas for improving what you already have on your resume. 

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Knowledge of social media platforms

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These platforms are incredibly powerful tools in telling a brand’s story. If you can master the basics of these and then stay up to date on their evolution, you’ll be extremely valuable to your organization. 

Top social media platforms include:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• LinkedIn

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Project management

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‍Ask anyone working in social media: there are a ton of moving parts. If you have project management skills that you can apply to your team’s projects and goals, you’ll likely be an indispensable asset to your company. Project management can mean a lot of different things, but in this context it basically means helping your team stay organized and meet deadlines. 

Social media managers typically schedule posts ahead of time. Try learning popular scheduling tools such as:

• Later
• Buffer
• HootSuite

Analytical skills

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We all know the importance of investing time and resources into social media marketing efforts, but without analytics, it’s difficult to know whether those efforts are having the desired outcomes. Knowing how to check metrics and reporting and then being able to make informed decisions based on those metrics is a key skill set for a social media assistant. 

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Written and verbal communication skills

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This one probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise but its importance can’t be overstated. As a social media assistant, you’re on the front lines of your organization in many ways. Whether you’re engaging with your brand’s digital community, writing copy or simply sharing your ideas and strategies internally, communication skills are critical for anyone working in social media. 

One of the perks of social media jobs is that they can be done fully remotely. With remote work, communication skills are important to keep your team updated on your progress.

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Time management

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Most jobs require time management skills, but in social media you need to be meticulous in breaking down your daily schedule. Between managing your community, replying to posts, updating your brand’s social pages and staying constantly on top of what’s trending, days can fill up quickly. Things also move very fast in the social media world, so you should always be ready for unpredictability and change. 

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Organization

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Not everyone realizes how complex it can be behind the scenes of a social media team. Lots of information is passed around, often with extremely tight deadlines. Since your brand’s social channels are often the most publicly visible components of the whole company, the stakes are high. Without organizational skills, you’re prone to making mistakes, missing deadlines and causing larger issues for your company. 

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Examples of achievements to include

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After you’ve determined how to present your skills, turn your attention towards your achievements. Depending on your prior experience, it’s not always a straightforward process trying to convey what you’ve accomplished. As you gain more experience, you'll be able to list more achievements on your resume.

Below are a few common achievements for social media managers:

• Managed all social media channels
• Prepared campaign reports and presented to leadership 
• Worked cross-functionally to develop comprehensive social media strategies 
• Created content that engaged with target audience and promoted interaction
• Researched new social media concepts and proposed them to the team
• Met and brainstormed with clients weekly to understand their goals and requirements 
• Collaborated with SEO and marketing teams to create 360 content marketing strategy 
• Worked with communications team to coordinate campaigns 
• Analyzed, reported, and presented findings on audience information and demographics

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Be patient

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So many brands need social media managers, but not all brands’ needs are the same. When writing your resume for the social media manager role, be sure to customize it however you can in order to set yourself apart. Once you've landed an interview, check out these expert interview tips for social media marketing jobs.

For even more help, sign up for Teal and use our free Resume Builder tool to create the very best version of your resume. At Teal, our goal is to empower you with tools and knowledge you can use to make meaningful improvements to your job search process.

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