Social media and community jobs are a hot commodity right now, and in demand by both employers and job seekers. And there’s no question that social media has changed the way individuals not only look for jobs, but how employers vet potential candidates and consider their qualifications.
If you’re in the market for a role like this, keep in mind a few key things as you respond to openings and opportunities.
1. Social media is an asset, but it’s not a shortcut.
Adhere to protocols that have been established for submitting your qualifications, application, or interest. Most of us have them not just to be a pain in the butt, but because we have processes and approvals of our own that we need to adhere to internally. A heads up that you’re applying is fine, LinkedIn connections are good too or a Twitter follow. But be mindful of the line between making and introduction and presuming a level of familiarity that’s not yet there.
Like most things, the more established your relationship in advance, the more likely that connection is to work to your advantage during a job search (hint: build your networks before you need them). But if you’re not familiar with the person in the hiring role, the social network connection does not suddenly imply an inside track. Work on establishing that connection in a professional and friendly manner online, but while respecting the processes that have been laid out by the company that’s hiring.
The resume may have a different role than it once did, but it’s not quite dead. It’s still the first glimpse many employers will have at your experience and skill set. Supplement that with online content or recommendations as you like, but make sure you’ve still got stuff on paper or PDF that’s polished and professional.
2. Read the job description carefully.
Be sure you have the requisite skills, and be upfront about the qualifications you might not meet. Be mindful of instructions contained therein about submission of qualifications, or supplemental materials you’ll need to be prepared to provide. And most of all, be honest with yourself about whether you really want a social media job.
Job descriptions, when done well, really are written for a reason and with an emphasis on both skills and personality attributes that are needed to suit not only the role, but the company culture and appropriate level of responsibility and authority. They’re usually written to the ideal, meaning some of them are flexible and open to compromise, but the more you can help hiring managers evaluate the potential fit and where your strengths are, the more smooth the evaluation process can go.
Social media jobs might be all the rage, but many still carry with them a level of professional experience (even if it’s transferrable rather than direct) and qualifications that go beyond having a few active online profiles. Being really honest about whether you’re a good fit for the role at hand is better for you in the long run, and sets you up for a great deal more success.
3. Social media moves fast, but the hiring process doesn’t.
In all but the smallest and most nimble of companies, the hiring process is a considered one with many steps and points of communication both internally and externally. There can be multiple candidates, multiple stages of interviews, and approvals and all sorts of things that have to happen within the walls of a company.
Most companies will only contact qualified candidates for interviews, so if you aren’t contacted within a few weeks, a follow up note is great, but don’t keep hammering the company on every social channel (especially in public) seeking a response. If you’ve sat for an interview or two it’s perfectly fine to ask for a status update on that process, but do so in private channels (email works best) and only with the people who have been involved in your interviews.
It’s hard to be patient when you’re eager, but HR processes can move slowly and too much follow up can actually smack of desperation. If you’re a top candidate for a role, it’s a pretty sure bet that the interested company will make sure that you’re in the loop and be in touch. Like it or not, you’ll have to adapt to their timelines, not the other way around. Don’t feel like you’re being well communicated with? That’s something to consider when deciding whether that company is the right fit for you.
4. If you’re on the market, be on your best behavior.
It’s surprising that this still needs to be said aloud, but if you’re a job seeker in the social media realm, your potential employers are going to look at more than the resume you send them. They’re going to check out your blog, your Twitter page, your LinkedIn profile. If you’re currently representing a company online in some capacity, they’ll likely have a look at that too.
Oh, and if you currently have a job? Take care with posting your interest in new roles online lest your current employers be listening. It’s amazing, but it happens. And it doesn’t make anyone look very good at all.
Have a good look at your avatar, bios, the tone and tenor of your posts and content. There’s no question that personal and professional collide online, but that can be good or bad. How would you feel about what you see there if you were the one deciding whether or not to interview you?
5. Culture fit is everything.
You can learn skills or technologies. You can get an education around processes or best practices. But you can’t really teach personality, work ethic, or values if they aren’t already there.
The job seeking process – and the recruiting process – is as much about finding an alignment of ideals and mindset as anything else (at least it is for us). Sure you’ve got to be qualified, but finding a company that suits your personality and attitude is really key, and companies want to find people that feel like they fit. That doesn’t mean hiring clones, but instead finding people with similar values that can grow and adapt with the organization and the people within it.
You can be the most qualified person on the roster but be a disconnected fit from a culture standpoint, and that’s okay. Social media can help both employers and job seekers in that regard; you can take a peek at the companies you’re looking at to see how you feel about their online representation, interaction, and presence. They in turn can get a feel for whether your personal and professional online personalities mesh well with what they’re all about, enough to want to bring you in the door for a closer look.
On that note, social media is a great door opener, but it’ll never replace the in-person interview entirely. There’s plenty we get through non-verbal communication and interactions that just can’t be diagnosed through a computer screen. Keep that in mind as you’re out there looking.
What Would You Add?
If you’re looking for a social media gig, what’s new about the process from how it used to be? What’s the same? What are you finding the most challenging, interesting, or helpful? What would you tell employers about improving their processes?
And if you’re hiring, what are the challenges and opportunities you’re finding as a result of social media? Is it helping, hindering, or both? What advice would you have for those on the job market?
Look forward to hearing from you in the comments.
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At the agency level, especially at a smaller agency, you’re role might not be in social media all the time. You may also have to work on the “traditional” marketing side for a certain number of hours.
Come to the table with all of you skills sharp because they may, and likely will be needed.
GREAT point and advice, Jon. If social media is integrated well, it’s a
piece of a larger whole, and will likely require a broad swath of skills in
business, communication, and otherwise. Thanks for weighing in.
I would add: Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. If you say you have experience using a particular channel, be ready to show it BEFORE you out it on your resume or job application. Similarly, don’t say you’ve been on Twitter since 2006 if you just started using it last year.
Honesty is always the best policy, especially in social media.
So true. Doesn’t do anyone any good to front skills you don’t have; employers will be aggravated, you’ll look silly and have a hard time performing at the level the job requires if you can’t be straight about your skills and aptitude. Thanks, Phil.
Excellent point. I’ve had job applicants tell me they had lots of social media experience, but weren’t able to point me online to anything I could use to verify that. It’s a very transparent field, and if you misrepresent yourself, it will be pretty obvious.
This is a good post, with lots of good info. I wrote something recently about personality traits of a Community Manager…which kinda adds to this. Can I include link here? I’ll try…http://marcywrites.com/2011/03/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-community-manager/
I recently went through a job search and I’ll say this. Employers need to be just as honest as applicants. I had several companies tell me they were ranked hirer than they were or claimed that the culture was one way when it clearly wasn’t. Reality is I know how to use social media to find out what your employees say about you. I am also really good at google-fu. I am going to unearth if something is rotten in the state of Denmark or if you’re not being honest with me.
Anna, that’s a good point. As businesses, we’ve got to be realistic about our strengths and challenges too, and aware of how we represent ourselves both online and off. Sites like http://glassdoor.com are making it easier for employees and former employees to weigh in, too.
Hello dear Amber, Thanks for this amazing post I actually like it. This is a hope that some people are still willing to help and share what they have. speaking of which this makes me think of Charles Dickens Speech on the opening of the Manchester Free Library in 1852 << The more a man knows, the more humbly, and with a more faithful spirit he comes back to the fountain of all knowledge, and takes to hsi heart the great sacred precept, 'On earth peace, good will toward men'." I bet today we will likely say people instead of man since it's politically incorrect.
It was great reading you.
Hello dear Amber, Thanks for this amazing post I actually like it. This is a hope that some people are still willing to help and share what they have. speaking of which this makes me think of Charles Dickens Speech on the opening of the Manchester Free Library in 1852 << The more a man knows, the more humbly, and with a more faithful spirit he comes back to the fountain of all knowledge, and takes to hsi heart the great sacred precept, 'On earth peace, good will toward men'." I bet today we will likely say people instead of man since it's politically incorrect.
It was great reading you.
This was a very insightful and useful post indeed. There are lots of little things one forgets or does not consider and this post highlights lots of aspects.
I think it is important to be able to have an “elevator answer” for those who aren’t web and tech natives. Some people live and breathe social media, some run and hide from it. We, as professionals and job seekers alike, must be able to make social media relevant to companies that might be a bit hesitant to embrace it.
I would add further to #2, “read the job description.” I have seen a lot of job descriptions which are really not a description for one person, but rather three! I have had to do some education with some recruiters (who are new to this space as well) about what it takes to do certain aspects of the job. There are a lot of companies out there that are new to the space and they try to pile everything that has anything to do with this marketing channel into one role. Perspective candidates may bite off a lot more than they can chew!
Great advice Amber! I especially like your first point. I spent a lot of free time when I was in school using social media to make connections with people in my field of interest long before I ever started actually looking for a job. Did any of those connections turn into a job from one of those people? Not really, but it helped me establish myself and led to some great recommendations for other jobs.
My best piece of advice goes along with your third point. Sometimes the hiring process can take a while and just because you think you found the perfect job to apply for doesn’t mean that that company feels the same way you do. So, my advice is even if you think you applied for the perfect job, keep looking. You may find something else that sounds perfect, or that other perfect job may not come through, so never stop hustling to find your dream job until ink hits paper.
Cheers,
Sheldon, community manager for Sysomos
A couple of things I would add: Even if you’ve been blogging for ten years, have a three-letter Twitter name and record a video podcast during your morning commute, employers these days will want to see some evidence that 1) you have an understanding of business fundamentals and b) you understand how social media in particular ties to business objectives. I’d rather teach someone how use Twitter than try to teach him or her how to communicate, or how to set priorities.
Be professional?Most of the time,simply and clear presentation say enough.Know to listen and think fast :)Thanks for nice postJelena
Fantastic. 90% of this is applicable to any jobseeker in this modern age too. Kudos.
A very good point saying that hiring of social media is slow.
A very good point saying that hiring of social media is slow.
Hey Amber, we cross posted several of your wonderful and informative posts back when you had the CC licensing so not sure if you remember on http://www.newmediasocial.com – do you remember? Our readers really enjoyed your insight! This subject is right up our alley so I had to comment. One thing we see as we talk to people on both sides is that people think it’s just about putting a few things out there on the web about the company.
For example, like you mentioned READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION and WHAT CAN YOU ADD. You have to research what the company has already in place. Maybe you relate what you have implemented, the ups and downs, and what your learned. Also, have some idea of how you are going to measure and what they expect in terms of different campaigns. Are the goals realistic? Be ready to give them facts and figures of what you have already done in the past that was successful and let them know what you have learned.
Many many companies still don’t understand nor take social media that seriously. They don’t get delayed results or the impact of having “to earn” the relationship with their audience. It’s very different from traditional marketing and advertising.
You also mentioned culture fit. That is HUGE!!! You have to believe in the company, what they are doing, their product or service and feel on both sides (candidate and company) that the job can get done with the right support. If you going to work for say a meat plant yet you are a vegetarian, your heart is just not going to be in it so it’s important for the candidates to do their own research so they can give their all in an interview.
This just scratches the surface but wanted to give you some kudos since it’s been a while. Great job and love the site!
Typically, smaller to mid sized companies want people with traditional marketing experience with “add-on” social media skills, but I can see it changing where job descriptions in the future will change to strictly handling the social media side of a companies overall marketing strategy.
Great points for job seekers, however. Thanks for the article.