Social media has long been a platform for personal relationships and communication. Now, as the lines between personal and professional spaces are blurring, the digital world of social media is as well. Considering that over 80% of Americans have a social media account, any hospitality professional would be wise to assess how they use social media in their career.

Here are four ways social media will be key to your hospitality career’s success:

Builds Image as Thought Leader

Traditionally, conferences, tradeshows, and seminars were the primary way to exchange ideas with other hospitality professionals outside your immediate network. Now, social media provides a large audience to share your ideas with, and a constant flow of industry-specific news.

There are real opportunities to showcase your valuable industry expertise. Keep tabs on industry activity by following profiles of experts in your chosen field on Twitter. Or use LinkedIn to keep tabs on more in-depth ideas from thought leaders, and easily publish your own thoughts as essays or shared documents.

Shows Your Humanity

Even without becoming a hospitality thought leader, your social media image can still affect your career. If done right, revealing a bit of humanity will make you stand out positively from others in your field.

Sharing things like hobbies and family milestones makes you more approachable and relatable to peers. Even sharing your participation in hospitality industry events outside of work like conferences or seminars can show your passion for the industry. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are prime places to showcase who you are as a person.

Helps you Build Your Own Team

As your career grows, so does your responsibility to build and develop your team. Staying connected with industry professionals at other properties or restaurants will help you locate and attract both active and passive job seekers. But if you only log in and work on building connections when you are actively hiring, you’ll find yourself starting the recruitment race from behind. Staying engaged regularly is also the best way to effectively navigate the constantly updating features of platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Keeps the Door Open for Opportunities

Even if you are not actively searching for a new opportunity, there is no harm in keeping the door open. An up-to-date and findable social media profile means hiring authorities can easily reach out with opportunities that might interest you. Keeping up with and responding to messages will prevent your dream job from slipping through your fingers.

Partner with a Hospitality Recruiter

The recruiters at Horizon Hospitality work with elite hospitality employers across the nation. They will also assist you every step of the interview process, and can provide resources to prepare you for the next chapter in your hospitality career. Check out all our current opportunities here, or submit your resume for future consideration!