Social Media Guru Advices Job Seekers on New Job Opportinities in The Industry

By: Tabitha Makumi,

Who would have thought that at a certain point in life, Kenyans would be able to eke a living through social media? That there would be job titles such as social media executives or managers? Take another drink buddy and think again ….someone might have told you after voicing that kind of thought but what do you know!

It’s a new era made of bloggers, ethical ones and those who will make you cringe, an era of community managers, digital marketers, social media marketers, digital developers, social media interns, social media managers and everyone in between who have found a way of monetizing their social skills and make some bucks out if it.

But are these careers a passing wind which will be a thing of the past in the near future?

Muthuri Kinyamu who refrains from being termed as a guru in this line and proffers to be termed as a social media strategist doesn’t seem to think so “Social media is here to stay, definitely not a fad,” he says confidently.

While he has in the past been a Digital Marketing Officer with a leading bank, and a Social Media Manager at Social Edge Africa, he is one optimistic man confident enough that there could even be a social media major or units in one of the local universities in the near future. He adds that, “There’s need to address the talent shortage & get some form of credentials to this promising industry. Not everyone with an internet connection can do this.”

Noting that the industry in Kenya is still in its puberty stages where there’s still a lot to try out and see how it turns out, he feels that there’s much to offer as far as job creation is concerned. “Nowadays organizations value and take social presence seriously so they are actually hiring professionals to do it so there is demand for talent that understands how social works and how to do it especially for corporate brands.”

And the opportunities in this line are not scarce. He cites that Kenyans interested to create employment for themselves can do so by managing communities, writing & blogging, stating up social media agencies to target individuals and SME’s , research and monitoring or concentrate in designing visual content and developing products such as apps and tools. “I guess there’s enough room for everyone here, anyone good enough,” he says.

Speaking of career opportunities, he adds that, “The sad or cool bit is most employees still don’t understand social media, so most guys do and audit their own work against their own benchmarks. That leaves a huge gap that employees seeking social media related roles can exploit.”

Armed with skills such as social media marketing, digital strategist and interactive media planning, Muthuri Kinyamu says that taking up a job in this line takes a bit of curiosity to understand the psychology of the audience you want to have or already engaging and where they are found, what content they consume and when and how they interact online. He adds that one also needs to understand how different platforms work and how to leverage into those networks.

And his last words for people who would like to venture in this line of field? He says, “You definitely need to have a relevant background, some passion for social media and deep interest in people.

He adds that, “Your education background can be PR, Communications, Media or Marketing. At the end of it all this is one role where employers/clients have to look at what a candidate has done on social media and for who and the results they achieved.

And his advice to job seekers? “Have some sort of portfolio, combined with your influence [Klout Score], what you plan to do for them [Strategy] and how plan to execute it.”

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