Social media has revolutionized the way recruiters search for talent, which means job seekers need to make sure their profiles are tuned to perfection. After all, you never know when the right person will stumble across your LinkedIn page at the right time. In the latest Mediabistro feature, career experts and seasoned freelancers tell how to get the most out of social media profiles during the job search. One thing you can include is:

Charity work and professional affiliations

Even if it doesn’t relate to the media biz, fulfilling work you do outside of a paying job can be a great conversation starter. Plus, you never know if the person scoping out your profile knows someone involved in that organization. So, if you spend Sundays tutoring kids at the local community center or helping your child’s PTA organization, include it on your profile.

Likewise, listing professional groups you belong to is a good idea because it builds credibility. (It’s the perfect chance to list those organizations that you pay to belong to just so you can list them on your resume!)

Read more in What Job Seekers Should (and Shouldn’t) Include on Their Social Media Profiles. [subscription required]

Being a freelancer comes with many perks: working from home, flexible hours and the ability to pick your own projects. But it can be difficult to figure out how much your work is worth. Should you have an hourly rate or a per-project one? New writers might want to accept a lower rate to build clips, but how do you know when a rate is too low? Is the project even worth your time?

In the latest Mediabistro feature, seasoned freelancers share their experiences, so you can learn from their mistakes and maximize the value of your work.

Freelancer Aubre Andrus says she set a salary goal for herself and calculates her hourly rate from there. For her, the fact that she isn’t working on income-generating tasks 40 hours a week was a determining factor.

“This rate helps me devise my per-project fee and helps me decide if a project is worth my time,” explained Andrus. That, along with tracking her monthly earnings, has helped her stay on target to attain her salary goal.

Read more in 4 Things to Consider When Setting Your Freelance Writing Rate. [subscription required]