I've applied to countless social media jobs over the years, which means I've seen my fair share of bad job postings. Like really bad. Like so bad they’ve made me consider leaving the profession altogether. 

When I was less experienced, less financially secure, and less old, I didn't care about red flags because I just really needed a job, any job. 

But now I am tired and jaded—I mean, experienced—and know what to look for and what to look out for to progress my career. So here are my personal red flags—the things that make me immediately pass on a social media role. 

No Phone

Now, there's a chance you could be in a social role where everything is done on your company-provided computer, but if you do any sort of engagement or content production (especially TikTok/Reels), you NEED a phone. Not only is it an essential tool and should be provided, but having one is a huge security bonus. Meaning a social manager is way less likely to accidentally post a Twilight meme to the company account. (Not that I've ever done that.) 

No Autonomy

This is particularly important for being reactive and in the moment. For any of my fellow chronically-online folks, you know a trend can die as quickly as it started. If every single post that goes out requires your manager and then your manager's manager and then their manager to sign off, it might as well not get posted because now it's five days later and nobody cares anymore. (Imagine posting a Barbenheimer meme today? Embarrassing.) Yes, absolutely, some projects/campaigns will require sign-off but for regular, day-to-day content and social engagement, you've gotta let those peacocks fly. 

"Team" of One

Repeat after me: there is no world where it is possible for one person to do All of The Social Media Things. A one person "team" either means being disgustingly overworked or doing less and seeing less results. Both options suck and just lead to burnout or disappointment. It’s 2024—let’s cut the whole “how long can a few posts really take?!” thing. 

Now, there can be a lot of cool opportunities at new and growing companies to originate a role and build the team from the ground up. I'll always consider these roles a gamble, though. Even if the company genuinely intends to grow and wants a real team, shit happens and growth is tumultuous (especially with new companies). 

But if you absolutely have to work on a social media team of one, or you're making that growth gamble at a smaller company, that doesn't mean you have to work on an island. Chances are your co-workers are online and have social media channels of their own. Don't be afraid to run your ideas by them, test the waters, or get their feedback on an idea you have. This is especially essential for memes/jokes. I’m always sharing meme ideas with coworkers to make sure they are funny to people who have lives outside of social media/pop culture (must be nice).

Wanting 24/7 Coverage

There's this weird idea that because "social media is always on," that means that the social team also needs to be available and on-call 24/7. And to that I say: if you want to act like your social channels are a 24/7 Tim Hortons, then staff it in shifts like one too. 

Not Understanding Organic Social Media

Organic social media (the type of social media I work in) has a specific purpose and that purpose is not to directly drive sales. Organic social media is about audience and community, not customers and product. It's about brand awareness, not sales. Think about your favorite corporate social media accounts (I’m talking about the Washington Post and Bose and Nutterbutter accounts of the online world). It’s not a constant stream of sales and promotions—it's posts full of brand personality (with the occasional meme or ten) that make them stick out. 

If I'm reading a job description meant for an organic social role but it's full of sales, advertising, and growth hacking jargon, that tells me that the company doesn't actually know how to do organic social media right. Now, I used to think I could get higher-ups to "see the light"—that if I did enough awesome presentations with awesome visuals they would finally get and believe in what I was doing. But one thing I’ve learned is if I’m starting off from a place of willull misunderstanding, no amount of work on my part can really get them there. (And, frankly, I don’t want to waste my time trying to teach them. I just want to do my job.)

You may have noticed a common theme here: respect. A company that thinks their social media employees should provide their own equipment, be micromanaged, work solo and/or all the time; a company that doesn't even get social media—that's a company where it's going to be hard, or near impossible, to grow and thrive. And THAT is just not worth my time anymore.