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Social media skills are becoming mandatory for career success and now, more than ever, mandatory to land a job. The landscape of the job market today has no doubt shifted and that shift is favoring those who are social media savvy.
Below are a sampling of job requirements on numerous sites:
“Twitter and Facebook experience required”
“5 years Tech PR & Twitter”
“An avid user of the Internet, blogs and social networking accounts”
“Social media collaboration including work spaces like Wiki’s, blogs, Twitter, etc.”
More and more postings on Monster.com such as “Social Media Strategist”, “Director of Public Relations and Social Media”, and my favorite, “Social Media Ninja”.
Below are a few “must-do’s” for the job-seeker today. Even if you’re happily employed and aren’t looking for new work, as your career evolves, so should your social media footprint.
1. Create & complete profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
2. Don’t be ultimately concerned about keeping work and home completely separate. Employers are looking for people….not just resumes.
3. Use your social media accounts to protect your “brand” image and reach people where they are.
4. Remember how people perceive you will impact whether or not they see you as a good fit for their organization. Recently a client felt as though they had interviewed the perfect young lady for a receptionist position only to find undesirable results (and photos) when they visited her facebook page which was open to the public.
5. Generate interesting content that will get you noticed by employers as well as other industry professionals.
6. Keep it non-controversial and don’t overdo topics of sex, politics and religion.
7. When googled, make sure results lead to professional related discussions and sites rather than an arrest, or even worse, blank!
So if your skills match up with the employers requirements, why are all of the above so important? A person’s social media footprint gives everyone an insight into your interests, work habits, work/life balance as well as other valuable info. More importantly, show you’re an expert in your field and generate interesting content that will get you noticed by employers.
Author: Jess Held
www.lessingflynn.com
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Jess, you're so right. I had to drag some of my students kicking and screaming onto Twitter, but I told them they will be asked about their social media skills in interview. I'll be showing them this post. Thanks for writing it.
I agree with you, Jess. In my current job (working for a publicly-traded company in the energy industry), I really see a need for people who understand FCC/SOX/SEC laws and regulations in the social media sphere. I think part of the reason more publicly-traded companies are not moving into the SM sphere is because of the laws governing what you can and cannot say to the public. As SM becomes more prevalent, these issues will need to be addressed by lawyers, Boards of Directors, the C-suite, and the regulatory agencies.
Megan, I think you have fallen into a spell created by lawyers and other pencil-pushing types. Social media is not about giving away trade secrets, talking bad about employees, or pre-releasing any sensitive financial results. It's about informing the public about your industry, current events happening in that industry, amplifying APPROVED company news and most of all, connecting with others in your industry. There are literally 1000s of tweets you could send without knowing one of those silly regulations. Don't allow legal to hijack a social media plan without a fight! Good luck to you!
Claire,
Thanks for the feedback. I recently presented to a business club at DMACC and when I asked how many of the students were using Twitter, not a single one raised their hand. I reinforced that employers today want to see a proven track record of engagement with others, being coherts, professionals or customers and clients through social media. On a professional level, I interact with many college students via social network platforms that I have met at trade events or through networking. When I hear of a position opening….I reach out to those grads and they are the first ones I recommend!
Claire —
I have not "fallen into a spell created by lawyers and other pencil-pusher types." But I work for a company where the culture is not conducive to SM (the C-suite doesn't understand it, they want to ignore it, etc.). Not only that, but our CEO is a lawyer (and there are other political things going on that I can't discuss unless I want to get fired). Personally, I would LOVE to institute a corporate SM policy (there are so many things we could do), but that is not my call. My mentor (VP Corp Comm) knows that SM is important, and we've had conversations regarding a policy. He is trying to educate the C-suite, but it's slow going. I suspect that as the older generation retires and new management takes their place, there will be a change. I will not be here to witness it.
Megan,
Thanks for your comments also! Unfortunately, an organization that is not looking at how they can engage with customers via social media, is simply an organization that fails to demonstrate a fundamental component of doing business. The customer. Do you trust your employees to take customers to dinner after a tradeshow, to write a personal thank you, to have phone conversation or share emails? Certainly any organization, despite internal corporate legal regulations and policies can find a way to share non proprietary, yet valuable information with customers on a social media platform. And more importantly….listen to what those customers have to say and take an interest. Keep pushing them!
Jess —
I'm with you and Claire 100%, and it frustrates me that we can't engage with shareholders via SM. I, however, have no say in the matter, especially now that I'll be leaving the company in a few months to move to Des Moines (my husband is going to law school). My hope is I can work for a company that "gets it" and would allow me to assist in setting up a policy.
Megan: I've worked with companies just like yours who fail to "get it." In my opinion, only one thing works. Show them what their competitor is doing, and immediately, they'll be all over it, especially if it's resulting in sales or some other bean-counter metric.
This is great feedback for the up-and-coming in the workforce, Jess. I can't imagine applying for a job in communications (marketing, PR, research) and NOT having a grasp on social media. If you don't, it will just be one more thing to list under a competing jobseeker's list of pros.
Just like you mentioned, having the most basic understanding of this space and building a simple presence for yourself will go a long way in the eyes of a potential employer.
Good points Mike. Even as an individual who has been in the workplace (for a few years), I can't imagine a better way to be engaged with other industry professionals and continue my own learning! Can a person even grasp the amount of knowledge and information you can obtain in a day simply by listening? Let's all tweet, "I learned more on Twitter than I did getting my BA"!
Last year, I joined Facebook and Twitter, as a way to learn about social media, and I have become a fan and an advocate of it. My former employer didn't see it that way, and decided to develop rules limiting the usage of both mediums and LinkedIn.
I understood their intent, but when I read in an company-wide email that they do not want anyone accessing their FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts on their phones…in the restrooms, I knew that they had no clue about it, and nor were they interested in it.
Wow, you have a phone ban on FB and Twitter in the rest room? I guess people were spending a little too much time in there…causing backups.
Sorry, had to do it.
Seems people are scared to change, funny how that happens everytime something new and innovative comes up.
Thanks, Pete, hard to resist a good poop joke.