by Kaitlin Madden

People love social media … and what’s not to love? Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn provide an easy way to communicate, connect with long-lost friends and see what those exes are up to (you know you’ve peeked!).

With more than 500 million active users on Facebook (who, on average, create 90 pieces of content per month), 175 million people on Twitter (who send out 95 million tweets per day) and 100 million accounts on LinkedIn (and one million company pages), it’s safe to say that social networks have become a craze.

Unfortunately, though, employers don’t necessarily share this enthusiasm for social networking. A quick analysis of the volume of content produced on these platforms tells us that there’s a large probability some of it is produced during the workday — causing many employers to implement stricter social media policies.

According to a 2010 survey by Robert Half Technology, 38 percent of chief information officers reported that they tightened their social media rules last year, and a separate survey by the same group revealed that 55 percent of companies completely ban social networking on the job.

So what’s a Facebook-friendly employee to do? Instead of putting your job on the line by spending your days Tweeting from your phone, or watching your back hoping that you don’t get caught playing Mafia Wars, you might want to consider a job that practically forces you to be “LinkedIn” to social networks.

Check out the following jobs, all of which let you play on social media all day:

1. Social media strategist: Duh. This one is pretty obvious, but for that reason, we had to include it. Social media strategists work in-house for corporations, at public relations agencies, or as independent contractors to analyze and plan a company’s social media strategy. Tasks may include monitoring and increasing fan count and interaction, and creating content for various social media channels.

Average salary: Since the job is still relatively new, concrete salary information hasn’t exactly been nailed down. According to a report by Social Media Influence called “The State of Social Media Jobs,” social media strategists typically earn between $40,000 and $60,000 per year.

2. Recruiter: Social media is becoming a huge tool for recruiters, who often search LinkedIn and Facebook profiles in order to find suitable candidates for job openings. This practice is now so prevalent that a recent survey by OfficeTeam found that more than a third of HR managers feel that social media profiles will replace résumés in the future.

Average salary: According to CBsalary.com, recruiters earn an average annual salary of $61,343.

3. Game/application developer: Someone had to create Farmville. Product developers create and build the applications and games we love from the ground up.

Average salary: The SMI research reports that social media product developers earn an average annual salary of $75,000 – $100,000 per year.

4. Marketing/public relations manager: For companies that don’t have dedicated social media specialists, the job of representing a company in these areas usually falls on the shoulders of marketing and public relations teams. 

Average salary: Marketing managers earn an average of $108,580 per year, according to the BLS. Public relations managers, $89,430.

5. Customer service rep: Social media gives customers direct and immediate access to brands. Thus, consumers often post complaints, questions or compliments about a brand directly to its social media pages. Customer service reps must be on hand to swiftly respond to customer queries.

Average salary: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average hourly salary for customer service reps is $14.36.

Does your company allow you to Facebook at work? Would you be interested in a social media-friendly job? Let us know in the comments section, below.

 

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