Social media influencer Siya Sangweni (22) has used social media platforms to take his career to new heights. With 3 128 Twitter and 2 079 Instagram followers so far, he tells us how he used Twitter to land a job on radio.
1. I am a co-host on The Gareth Cliff Show on cliffcentral.com, a master of ceremonies and public speaker. As a self-confessed social media junkie, I joined the media industry because it is aligned with my passion for interacting with people. I also get to use my voice and social media influence to spread love, peace and happiness. Social media is the future as it instantly connects us to the world, and I also use it to stay informed.
2. I used Twitter to land my job. When I was in matric, I decided to follow Gareth Cliff’s manager and business partner, Rina Broomberg on Twitter. To my surprise, she followed me back. So, I decided to send her a message, asking to meet for coffee to get advice on how to embark on a media career. During this meeting, I shared my love for radio and two days later, she offered me a job.
3. Take your online presence seriously. I believe that my social media following and positive presence helped me to land my job. My posts are always aligned with my work, and I share positive and empowering feeds. Keeping my pages updated with informative feeds that are aligned to my brand helps me to get public speaking and MC jobs.
4. I have used social media to brand myself as a motivational youth ambassador and speaker. Because motivating young people in high schools is important to me, I started The Rise Factor – School Tour initiative. The encouraging feedback I received from young people on social media made me realise that there is a need to focus on youth empowerment.
5. Don’t be shy to use your online presence to promote your skills and goals. Social media has opened up many career opportunities for me, and I have also used it to connect with influential people who can help me grow. Constantly interacting with people on social media networks continues to work in my favour.
