Yesterday, we looked at some examples of social media job descriptions that were missing the mark in one way or another.
But in and among the reams of mediocre, there were a few glimmers of promise. Let’s cover some of those, and start looking to the future for how we can talk with organizations looking to hire folks in this arena.
Unlike the less positive stuff in the last post where I kept the companies anonymous (I’m sure you can find them for yourself), I actually called out the companies (and respective job descriptions) here that I think have some of the right ideas. I want you smart people to be able to find these companies and the opportunities, and they you.
Good Move #1:
Strategic and creative thinker with the ability to take larger strategy and insights and translate into ideas and executable plans in the social media space. (Director, Social Media, TNT – Time Warner Inc.)
Strategize with and educate the management team and others across the company on incorporating relevant social media techniques into the corporate culture and into all of the company’s products and services. (Social Media Marketing Strategist – Medtronic)
Both of these elements in a job description speak to me that these companies recognize something critical: that social media is part of a larger strategy and should be well woven into business goals. That it can’t live in its own world, but rather needs to be part of the overall business approach. As a social media job seeker, I would be keying in on these two things as indicators that these companies may have the right mindset in place.
Good Move #2:
Willingness to experiment and innovate. (Director, Social Media, TNT – Time Warner Inc.)
Heck yeah. This company shows that they know some of this is about trying, testing, failing fast, innovating, trying again. Social media has shallow precedent right now, and a company that recognizes the need to try new things will have a better chance at finding the stuff that works.
Good Move #3:
Engage online audiences, both reactively and proactively, ultimately empowering others to talk about the brand. (Community Manager – Corbis)
The last bit here is what caught me. The good companies know that engagement is good. But the great companies see that the real power in all of this is empowering the network itself to be ambassadors for you, among themselves, and among their own communities. It’s a demonstration that they want to steward and carry their brand to their customers, but that they want their customers to go forth and take it elsewhere. Encouraging.
Good Move #4:
Must be a subject matter expert on social media tools … while possessing the ability and patience to educate internal/external audiences. (Email Marketing and Social Media Manager – Collinson Digital)
Ah, how often we neglect the need for internal education. But not here! Advocates for any business strategy or approach – especially new ones – are as much teachers and stewards of the concepts inside their own organizations as external champions. It only really works if you’re all on the same train headed in the same direction.
Good Move #5:
An enthusiasm to learn our philosophy, history, and facts is critical. … Everyday there’s a story going on. (Social Media Coordinator – Stone Brewing Co.)
As with much of this stuff, this notion doesn’t just apply to social media. But in that context, it’s great to see a company acknowledging the need for social media to be rooted in the company knowledge and culture itself. And I particularly love the notion of storytelling inside a job description like this. Social media folk are so much like digital bards, aren’t they?
Good Move #6:
Ability to establish measurements and success metrics where standards do not exist. (Social and Emerging Media Specialist – Ford Motor Co.)
I can’t tell you how much I love this one. Yay, measurement. Yay, accountability. And YAY for the notion that you can and should establish new standards and metrics if you don’t have any to go on. No one said the only measurements that mattered are the ones we already know. New goals, new objectives, new ways of figuring out whether or not your efforts were successful. Yes?
Some Conclusions and More Questions
Even with some of the positive stuff here, I still see tons of room for improvement in the world of hiring for social media jobs. I am encouraged by some of the recruiting professionals I know in this space like Dave Benjamin and Jen Wojcik who are helping to educate companies not just about how to recruit using social media, but how to recruit for social media.
I do think that – at least for now – companies can do well to have point roles for social media. But these roles ought to be designed for obsolescence as companies incorporate social media as a part of every role somehow, whether from an engagement perspective or an intelligence gathering one. That’s what I’m hoping to see: job descriptions for R&D, for product management, for HR, for customer service, all with elements of social media baked right in, in ways that make sense for that part of the business. I think we’ll get there.
It tells me, too, that there are companies that are getting it. That understand, but need help and resources to equip themselves. And it reinforces the need for we trench workers to keep sharing, to keep focusing on solutions and results, to keep our eye on the ball instead of at our feet and embrace our roles as leaders and practitioners of new, promising concepts for business.
So then, what say you? Between yesterday and today, what do you think the future is for companies looking to hire for social media, and where does this fit into the big picture? Bring us your thoughts.
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Very nice compare and contrast between the good and the bad of social media recruiting, and thank you for bringing this to the attention of those of us interested in this space. Like everything else in this vertical, there will be growing pains as people/companies/communities learn and experiment with SM tools, techniques and processes.
Very nice compare and contrast between the good and the bad of social media recruiting, and thank you for bringing this to the attention of those of us interested in this space. Like everything else in this vertical, there will be growing pains as people/companies/communities learn and experiment with SM tools, techniques and processes.
Hooray for Part II! (Yes, I really use words like hooray, super and neato.) Thank you for pointing to some companies that are poised to assimilate social media into their culture, rather than pigeon hole it in a corner office. The importance of internal education cannot be overstated – without the education, companies have little choice but to revert to the pigeon hole philosophy.
My favorite, hands down, is from #3, “empowering others to talk about the brand”. So beautiful, I cried a little. This is what we’re after! There seems to be this thought pattern wherein community caretakers think they must dominate the conversation; a sort of “I built this community, it’s mine” mentality. I’ve watched what I can only describe as turf wars break out among community members who want nothing more than to tell the world what they’re excited about and the “profile administrators” that feel the need to dictate how and when said excitement should be shared. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
As always, I love reading you! @LisaDJenkins
Thanks, Lisa. When pointing out the “bad”, I love to point to folks that are getting it right, too. It’s how we learn to actually DO better, rather than just talk about being better.
Thanks for being here, and for always lending great perspective. I like what you pointed out about “this is my community”. I think we have a hard time believing that our customers could ever possibly steward our brand better than we can. 🙂
Hooray for Part II! (Yes, I really use words like hooray, super and neato.) Thank you for pointing to some companies that are poised to assimilate social media into their culture, rather than pigeon hole it in a corner office. The importance of internal education cannot be overstated – without the education, companies have little choice but to revert to the pigeon hole philosophy.
My favorite, hands down, is from #3, “empowering others to talk about the brand”. So beautiful, I cried a little. This is what we’re after! There seems to be this thought pattern wherein community caretakers think they must dominate the conversation; a sort of “I built this community, it’s mine” mentality. I’ve watched what I can only describe as turf wars break out among community members who want nothing more than to tell the world what they’re excited about and the “profile administrators” that feel the need to dictate how and when said excitement should be shared. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
As always, I love reading you! @LisaDJenkins
Thanks, Lisa. When pointing out the “bad”, I love to point to folks that are getting it right, too. It’s how we learn to actually DO better, rather than just talk about being better.
Thanks for being here, and for always lending great perspective. I like what you pointed out about “this is my community”. I think we have a hard time believing that our customers could ever possibly steward our brand better than we can. 🙂
amber
great follow up blog post. i read your ‘negative’ one yesterday and was anxiously awaiting your follow up ‘positive’ post.
i have been following a lot of these job posts lately and was refreshed to know that others were thinking the same thing.
i completely agree with you on focusing on the customer vs. the tools.
though there are many successful SM directors/managers out today, I am still nervous about having companies dedicate a specific role to only “social media”. That is like saying, “desktop publishing director” from 1998. I have always like how Scott Monty’s role at Ford is “Digital Communications Executive at Ford Motor Company”.
i have always believed social media is part of the overall marketing mix and when it is strategically seen as that within an organization that person (team) will be successful. However, if they are only seen as the ‘social media person’ they could be in a pigeon hole.
I agree with you, very much. I think that social media jobs can be okay for now, if only to get companies on the right path. But I also think they ought to be working themselves toward obsolescence, in order that they can integrate and weave social into the rest of the business and educate folks along the way. But like email or the phone, the social web will just become part of our business function, not just in the PR/marketing bucket. At least, that’s how I see it. 🙂
amber
great follow up blog post. i read your ‘negative’ one yesterday and was anxiously awaiting your follow up ‘positive’ post.
i have been following a lot of these job posts lately and was refreshed to know that others were thinking the same thing.
i completely agree with you on focusing on the customer vs. the tools.
though there are many successful SM directors/managers out today, I am still nervous about having companies dedicate a specific role to only “social media”. That is like saying, “desktop publishing director” from 1998. I have always like how Scott Monty’s role at Ford is “Digital Communications Executive at Ford Motor Company”.
i have always believed social media is part of the overall marketing mix and when it is strategically seen as that within an organization that person (team) will be successful. However, if they are only seen as the ‘social media person’ they could be in a pigeon hole.
I agree with you, very much. I think that social media jobs can be okay for now, if only to get companies on the right path. But I also think they ought to be working themselves toward obsolescence, in order that they can integrate and weave social into the rest of the business and educate folks along the way. But like email or the phone, the social web will just become part of our business function, not just in the PR/marketing bucket. At least, that’s how I see it. 🙂
So, let me as you “experts” – WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA? Explain it. What defines it? What makes you an expert?
So, let me as you “experts” – WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA? Explain it. What defines it? What makes you an expert?
Great post Amber.
I was applying for a Job at a local News Paper that included many of the things in the ‘bad’ job description. I remember one of the requirements was to be a twitter user for at least one year and have a blog with lot’s of readers.
I doubt that was what they wanted. I comparison I’m more convinced that Social Media will be something that will be integrated through the organization and be part of many jobs. Social Media brings a change and therefore structures and job definitions must change over time. So far I think the key in social media is understanding that it involves these words: strategy, empowerment, engagement, learning,good content and metrics.
On the part of metrics. I was studying some cases of metrics with some people that have made studies on how to measure and they all agree for Social Media metrics must be creative. It’s a new path, new metrics should follow.
Great post Amber.
I was applying for a Job at a local News Paper that included many of the things in the ‘bad’ job description. I remember one of the requirements was to be a twitter user for at least one year and have a blog with lot’s of readers.
I doubt that was what they wanted. I comparison I’m more convinced that Social Media will be something that will be integrated through the organization and be part of many jobs. Social Media brings a change and therefore structures and job definitions must change over time. So far I think the key in social media is understanding that it involves these words: strategy, empowerment, engagement, learning,good content and metrics.
On the part of metrics. I was studying some cases of metrics with some people that have made studies on how to measure and they all agree for Social Media metrics must be creative. It’s a new path, new metrics should follow.
Amber,
Nice posts regarding the good and bad of hiring for social media. The fact is, “social media” is such a blanket term, and one size *does not* fits all. On the hiring side, what will be the purpose/capacity of you filling this “social media” role? i.e.:
– Strategy?
– Marketing?
– PR/Corp Communications?
– Community?
– Knowledge of Tools/Platforms?
– Audience Development?
– Analytics/Insights?
Perhaps you can score your job descrition against each above attribute on a scale of 0-5 and use this as a baseline to measure candidates against. The fact is, it will be very difficult to find anyone who will score 4-5 on everything above.
Also, it seems like many organizations are throwing buzzwords into job postings to ‘hippify’ them/attract more candidates, so job seekers need to really read into what a role will entail (i.e., figure out if it’s really just a media planning role).
The same goes for those looking for a ‘social media’ job. Which of the above skills do you possess? Are you already working in “the industry”, or are you looking to shift your career? Just because you have used Facebook and Twitter does not make someone a ‘social media expert’. However, if you show that you are well-read up regarding industry trends (blogs, books, attend events, etc.), have worked to build your ‘personal brand’ through social tools and most of all, show *passion*, you stand a better chance of finding that dream job. A few more things to think about when researching jobs:
– Do you have brand-side or agency-side experience? Can you thrive in one or both?
– Do you need to be part of a highly-structured/large organization or can you thrive in a smaller, more hands-on environment?
– Do you prefer to work on a single challenge/project, or do you prefer to work on multiple concurrent, potentially disparate projects?
Hope this helps those hiring (and looking to get hired)!
@BobTroia
Amber,
Nice posts regarding the good and bad of hiring for social media. The fact is, “social media” is such a blanket term, and one size *does not* fits all. On the hiring side, what will be the purpose/capacity of you filling this “social media” role? i.e.:
– Strategy?
– Marketing?
– PR/Corp Communications?
– Community?
– Knowledge of Tools/Platforms?
– Audience Development?
– Analytics/Insights?
Perhaps you can score your job descrition against each above attribute on a scale of 0-5 and use this as a baseline to measure candidates against. The fact is, it will be very difficult to find anyone who will score 4-5 on everything above.
Also, it seems like many organizations are throwing buzzwords into job postings to ‘hippify’ them/attract more candidates, so job seekers need to really read into what a role will entail (i.e., figure out if it’s really just a media planning role).
The same goes for those looking for a ‘social media’ job. Which of the above skills do you possess? Are you already working in “the industry”, or are you looking to shift your career? Just because you have used Facebook and Twitter does not make someone a ‘social media expert’. However, if you show that you are well-read up regarding industry trends (blogs, books, attend events, etc.), have worked to build your ‘personal brand’ through social tools and most of all, show *passion*, you stand a better chance of finding that dream job. A few more things to think about when researching jobs:
– Do you have brand-side or agency-side experience? Can you thrive in one or both?
– Do you need to be part of a highly-structured/large organization or can you thrive in a smaller, more hands-on environment?
– Do you prefer to work on a single challenge/project, or do you prefer to work on multiple concurrent, potentially disparate projects?
Hope this helps those hiring (and looking to get hired)!
@BobTroia
In my current situation it has been very, very interesting to see how social media has gone from a ‘we don’t do that’ to a ‘we should look at that’ to ‘this is going to impact most of our departments – okay let’s get a strategy.’
Not that you can see much of that on our public facing properties just yet, but it’s coming!
In my current situation it has been very, very interesting to see how social media has gone from a ‘we don’t do that’ to a ‘we should look at that’ to ‘this is going to impact most of our departments – okay let’s get a strategy.’
Not that you can see much of that on our public facing properties just yet, but it’s coming!
These are a little heartwarming. 🙂 Okay, more than a little.
It’s good to see the various elements of success scattered throughout these — engagement, trial and error, SM infusion into the bigger picture, *ENTHUSIASM FOR THE COMPANY CULTURE* (Stone and I need to have a chat :)), etc.
All signs that social media integration is starting to sink in and not just sit on the sidelines as a sectioned-off newbie.
What I found really interesting was your reply to Cosmin — that the current roles we’re seeing should have some obsolescence built into them as social integrates into all business roles. This, to me, is the big picture we need to be working toward.
At the end of the day, being able to effectively communicate with colleagues and clients is part of every role, and to make a business truly take flight in the social realm every role needs to have that truth weaved heavily through them. That includes integrating tools and means of connecting that get people talking and helping in whatever way they can.
Thanks for the follow-up! It’s great to see the spotlight shined on organizations making good moves.
These are a little heartwarming. 🙂 Okay, more than a little.
It’s good to see the various elements of success scattered throughout these — engagement, trial and error, SM infusion into the bigger picture, *ENTHUSIASM FOR THE COMPANY CULTURE* (Stone and I need to have a chat :)), etc.
All signs that social media integration is starting to sink in and not just sit on the sidelines as a sectioned-off newbie.
What I found really interesting was your reply to Cosmin — that the current roles we’re seeing should have some obsolescence built into them as social integrates into all business roles. This, to me, is the big picture we need to be working toward.
At the end of the day, being able to effectively communicate with colleagues and clients is part of every role, and to make a business truly take flight in the social realm every role needs to have that truth weaved heavily through them. That includes integrating tools and means of connecting that get people talking and helping in whatever way they can.
Thanks for the follow-up! It’s great to see the spotlight shined on organizations making good moves.
Sadly, it seems that most social media positions out there focus too much on tactical, not strategy. And the compensation is typically that of support staff or worse.
That said, it’s good to know that there are companies (and I’m not at all surprised to see Ford in the mix) who “get it” and are looking to better utilize the skillsets of individuals inside and out of their organizations.
It was nice reading the two posts side-by-side. Thank you!
Sadly, it seems that most social media positions out there focus too much on tactical, not strategy. And the compensation is typically that of support staff or worse.
That said, it’s good to know that there are companies (and I’m not at all surprised to see Ford in the mix) who “get it” and are looking to better utilize the skillsets of individuals inside and out of their organizations.
It was nice reading the two posts side-by-side. Thank you!
Very nice follow up. Good to see these examples. You bring up an excellent point, though companies may not be posting these job in the most efficient or correct way, it is our responsibility to help show them how. People like Dave and Jen are instrumental in creating that change.
Very nice follow up. Good to see these examples. You bring up an excellent point, though companies may not be posting these job in the most efficient or correct way, it is our responsibility to help show them how. People like Dave and Jen are instrumental in creating that change.
Can we get a part III where you actually write out an example of how you would phrase a social media job description? I think that would be really helpful.
Following on my comment on your last post…I do think that recruiters could help companies in their hiring process. Companies that don’t yet understand social media shouldn’t be writing the job description for a social media position.
That’s why “internal education” is possibly the MOST important aspect for a company first approaching social media to include in the job description. It doesn’t matter what you put in a job description. If you don’t understand why the aspects of the job description are there, you’ll find it very hard to determine the success of your new employee.
David
Scribnia.com
David – if you can’t wait for Amber’s Part III, you can check out my blog post on “My Social Media Job Description” – http://tomhumbarger.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/my-social-media-job-description/. Medtronic which was mentioned in Amber’s Good Move #1 actually used parts of my post in their job posting.
Tom
Hi Amber – thank you, thank you! Great info, very useful, very timely, and I know I’ll keep referring to both of these posts. When trying to land a new client or position, I think diplomacy is critical since anyone who’s following the new sm trends probably knows more about what’s needed on the new frontier than their potential clients or hiring manager. So it’s either about gently educating during the RFP or interview process in order to help them rethink the job description, or getting the client or position first, then managing expectations while fulfilling the basic requirements and eventually (hopefully) expanding the project or role in the right direction. Not unlike the early to mid 90’s with the brand new frontier of the Internet, it’s exciting to see how social media is providing new career channels.
Cheers,
@alyce
Can we get a part III where you actually write out an example of how you would phrase a social media job description? I think that would be really helpful.
Following on my comment on your last post…I do think that recruiters could help companies in their hiring process. Companies that don’t yet understand social media shouldn’t be writing the job description for a social media position.
That’s why “internal education” is possibly the MOST important aspect for a company first approaching social media to include in the job description. It doesn’t matter what you put in a job description. If you don’t understand why the aspects of the job description are there, you’ll find it very hard to determine the success of your new employee.
David
Scribnia.com
David – if you can’t wait for Amber’s Part III, you can check out my blog post on “My Social Media Job Description” – http://tomhumbarger.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/my-social-media-job-description/. Medtronic which was mentioned in Amber’s Good Move #1 actually used parts of my post in their job posting.
Tom
Hi Amber – thank you, thank you! Great info, very useful, very timely, and I know I’ll keep referring to both of these posts. When trying to land a new client or position, I think diplomacy is critical since anyone who’s following the new sm trends probably knows more about what’s needed on the new frontier than their potential clients or hiring manager. So it’s either about gently educating during the RFP or interview process in order to help them rethink the job description, or getting the client or position first, then managing expectations while fulfilling the basic requirements and eventually (hopefully) expanding the project or role in the right direction. Not unlike the early to mid 90’s with the brand new frontier of the Internet, it’s exciting to see how social media is providing new career channels.
Cheers,
@alyce
It’s a great thing to see companies that understand and are willing to admit the fact that they don’t yet fully know what’s going to happen with social media. Further, it’s refreshing to see that they want to develop new strategies instead of trying to just slap their pre-existing ones down on top of everything and hope that they work.
The one thing that does bother me a bit, though, is that the idea of social media is still new and can get fairly nebulous depending on what you’re discussing, so it may be a bit presumptuous for people to start calling themselves “experts” at it this early in the game — most people I’ve encountered using the term “expert” have implied that they have years of experience (whether that was TRUE at the time is another matter entirely, of course, but that’s still clearly what they wanted me to believe). Sure, people can be fast learners, but how can you truly be an expert at something that you only recently discovered yourself?
It’s a great thing to see companies that understand and are willing to admit the fact that they don’t yet fully know what’s going to happen with social media. Further, it’s refreshing to see that they want to develop new strategies instead of trying to just slap their pre-existing ones down on top of everything and hope that they work.
The one thing that does bother me a bit, though, is that the idea of social media is still new and can get fairly nebulous depending on what you’re discussing, so it may be a bit presumptuous for people to start calling themselves “experts” at it this early in the game — most people I’ve encountered using the term “expert” have implied that they have years of experience (whether that was TRUE at the time is another matter entirely, of course, but that’s still clearly what they wanted me to believe). Sure, people can be fast learners, but how can you truly be an expert at something that you only recently discovered yourself?
Amber,
First, thank you very much for the mention. I’m glad you feel I am doing a good job at moving the bar regarding recruitment in the social media space. As more and more companies look to hire professionals with the diverse skill set necessary to have success, they must be willing to take some chances or at a minimum work outside their comfort zone. You’ve been instrumental in helping me understand social media from a broader perspective and I can’t thank you enough for that.
Amber,
First, thank you very much for the mention. I’m glad you feel I am doing a good job at moving the bar regarding recruitment in the social media space. As more and more companies look to hire professionals with the diverse skill set necessary to have success, they must be willing to take some chances or at a minimum work outside their comfort zone. You’ve been instrumental in helping me understand social media from a broader perspective and I can’t thank you enough for that.
Amber,
Do you want to hear a funny coincidence? Significant portions of the Medtronic job description you quoted in your Good Move #1 was actually copied verbatim from my blog post titled “My Social Media Job Description” (http://tomhumbarger.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/my-social-media-job-description/).
I applied for the job even though I don’t live in Minneapolis, because I really liked the job description. Then, I realized that I wrote most of the job posting and pointed it out to them. Originally, they didn’t want to talk to me because I wasn’t local, but I just got a call this week that they are expanding their search and want to talk to me now. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
The good news is that we can influence hiring managers via our blogging! So maybe your series of blog posts will hit the mark with some HR or Marketing VP too.
Tom
Amber,
Do you want to hear a funny coincidence? Significant portions of the Medtronic job description you quoted in your Good Move #1 was actually copied verbatim from my blog post titled “My Social Media Job Description” (http://tomhumbarger.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/my-social-media-job-description/).
I applied for the job even though I don’t live in Minneapolis, because I really liked the job description. Then, I realized that I wrote most of the job posting and pointed it out to them. Originally, they didn’t want to talk to me because I wasn’t local, but I just got a call this week that they are expanding their search and want to talk to me now. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
The good news is that we can influence hiring managers via our blogging! So maybe your series of blog posts will hit the mark with some HR or Marketing VP too.
Tom
Excellent Post(s). So many articles concentrate on one or the other positive or negative without sharing the other side, this is great. If you’re doing it right you see the negative and know what ways not to go, if you’re doing it wrong you give straight forward ways to improve. Thank you.
Excellent Post(s). So many articles concentrate on one or the other positive or negative without sharing the other side, this is great. If you’re doing it right you see the negative and know what ways not to go, if you’re doing it wrong you give straight forward ways to improve. Thank you.
Amber,
Thank you for this duo of blog posts. Not only do they offer great insight from an HR perspective, but I think they can really speak to anyone who is active in social media for business purposes. Often people just can’t seem to get past the tools and buzzwords to think about strategy, objectives, goals and success factors.
Both personally and professionally, I think that understanding WHY you are involved in any online community, staying focused, seeing what works and adjusting your strategy as you learn and grow, is truly the key to building a successful reputation for yourself and your company.
Amber,
Thank you for this duo of blog posts. Not only do they offer great insight from an HR perspective, but I think they can really speak to anyone who is active in social media for business purposes. Often people just can’t seem to get past the tools and buzzwords to think about strategy, objectives, goals and success factors.
Both personally and professionally, I think that understanding WHY you are involved in any online community, staying focused, seeing what works and adjusting your strategy as you learn and grow, is truly the key to building a successful reputation for yourself and your company.
Amber,
Love your stuff. Recently found you through linkage from Chris Brogan’s blog. Just wanted to say that as a person in a current social media job search, I’ve run across the good and the bad.
The important thing for me as been the emphasis on getting everyone in the organization involved in social media. I had an interview yesterday where the prospective employer was GREAT! He knew that some changes needed to made with regards to their social media and was open to any suggestions and ideas that I had. When was the last time you heard a Fortune 500 company exec. say “we need to have an edgier tone in our blog writing”? Music to my ears.
But the true breakthrough came when he told me that they really haven’t done extensive monitoring of what people are saying about them in the sphere (yes, I mentioned Radian6 might be something they want to look at and I could help them with that), but have recently learned that a large amount of their employees are already using social media.
When I threw out some ideas all involving bringing those employees in the fold and having them be ambassadors for the company, and I threw in that I could start training series for all in the company to learn how to use social media responsibly and effectively, he almost fell out of his chair. In a good way.
Most companies just never think of allowing their employees to be ambassadors for them in that manner. My theory is that traditional, we control our message at all times, is to blame for that.
But it’s not the first time that something like this has happened in my job search. However, it was the first time that the prospective employer seemed to really “get it” and be open to what I was saying, ultimately leaving the room both excited and intrigued.
Now here’s hoping I get the gig!
Amber,
Love your stuff. Recently found you through linkage from Chris Brogan’s blog. Just wanted to say that as a person in a current social media job search, I’ve run across the good and the bad.
The important thing for me as been the emphasis on getting everyone in the organization involved in social media. I had an interview yesterday where the prospective employer was GREAT! He knew that some changes needed to made with regards to their social media and was open to any suggestions and ideas that I had. When was the last time you heard a Fortune 500 company exec. say “we need to have an edgier tone in our blog writing”? Music to my ears.
But the true breakthrough came when he told me that they really haven’t done extensive monitoring of what people are saying about them in the sphere (yes, I mentioned Radian6 might be something they want to look at and I could help them with that), but have recently learned that a large amount of their employees are already using social media.
When I threw out some ideas all involving bringing those employees in the fold and having them be ambassadors for the company, and I threw in that I could start training series for all in the company to learn how to use social media responsibly and effectively, he almost fell out of his chair. In a good way.
Most companies just never think of allowing their employees to be ambassadors for them in that manner. My theory is that traditional, we control our message at all times, is to blame for that.
But it’s not the first time that something like this has happened in my job search. However, it was the first time that the prospective employer seemed to really “get it” and be open to what I was saying, ultimately leaving the room both excited and intrigued.
Now here’s hoping I get the gig!
Excellent. I LOVE that you did this in 2 parts.
(And I am not just excited about Good move #6… even though it made me almost shed a tear of joy.)
Good to know companies are starting to get the idea.
You rock for sharing this from both sides of the coin.
Excellent. I LOVE that you did this in 2 parts.
(And I am not just excited about Good move #6… even though it made me almost shed a tear of joy.)
Good to know companies are starting to get the idea.
You rock for sharing this from both sides of the coin.
“Social media folk are so much like digital bards, aren’t they?”
Yup. Or internet bards, as the case may be.
Found this via @JenWojcik, and so glad that I read it. One side of the problem right now is companies hiring underqualified folks because they don’t really understand social media at a basic level and hiring folks who are only capable of regurgitating “the social media spiel.”
The other side is genuinely passionate social media folks ending up in jobs where they aren’t allowed to actually develop a successful strategy because the employer regurgitated the job description based on other “social media nerd” job listings they’ve seen, without really thinking through the implications.
A company that gets that storytelling is integral says to me they understand the point of social media. I have to say “willingness to innovate” could mean “we stopped thinking creatively years ago, so now we need to hire someone to do that for us.” Kinda scares me a little.
Anyway, hope you’re doing well.
From the wilds of KY,
Kat
“Social media folk are so much like digital bards, aren’t they?”
Yup. Or internet bards, as the case may be.
Found this via @JenWojcik, and so glad that I read it. One side of the problem right now is companies hiring underqualified folks because they don’t really understand social media at a basic level and hiring folks who are only capable of regurgitating “the social media spiel.”
The other side is genuinely passionate social media folks ending up in jobs where they aren’t allowed to actually develop a successful strategy because the employer regurgitated the job description based on other “social media nerd” job listings they’ve seen, without really thinking through the implications.
A company that gets that storytelling is integral says to me they understand the point of social media. I have to say “willingness to innovate” could mean “we stopped thinking creatively years ago, so now we need to hire someone to do that for us.” Kinda scares me a little.
Anyway, hope you’re doing well.
From the wilds of KY,
Kat
Great moves thanks for sharing Amber, The basic three things which every social media professional should have are curiosity,art of engagement and art to innovate plus there are a lot of other important things required.
Further on it also depends upon what dept. do they fit in as in the coming future social media would be something which cannot be handled by a single focussed team as then there would be fields like analytics,direct engagement, Back end support and they would diversify further as social media gets more and more content.
Great moves thanks for sharing Amber, The basic three things which every social media professional should have are curiosity,art of engagement and art to innovate plus there are a lot of other important things required.
Further on it also depends upon what dept. do they fit in as in the coming future social media would be something which cannot be handled by a single focussed team as then there would be fields like analytics,direct engagement, Back end support and they would diversify further as social media gets more and more content.
Great articles, Amber! This is my first time reading your work and I was very impressed with your content and style. Some other comments have mentioned that social media is still relatively “young” and still evolving, which I think is an excellent point. I don’t think companies realize the complexity of keeping up with the social networking trend. That being said, many of the jobs in the “Bad” list should further be broken down into multiple job opportunities.
I think that companies should be less worried about converting followers on social networking sites into dollar signs and more concerned with giving their corporate brand a face, so to speak. With so many companies around the world providing similar products and services, the ones that can connect with their customers will be the ones that rise above the rest in the long run.
Great articles, Amber! This is my first time reading your work and I was very impressed with your content and style. Some other comments have mentioned that social media is still relatively “young” and still evolving, which I think is an excellent point. I don’t think companies realize the complexity of keeping up with the social networking trend. That being said, many of the jobs in the “Bad” list should further be broken down into multiple job opportunities.
I think that companies should be less worried about converting followers on social networking sites into dollar signs and more concerned with giving their corporate brand a face, so to speak. With so many companies around the world providing similar products and services, the ones that can connect with their customers will be the ones that rise above the rest in the long run.
A year and some months later, I found my way back to your blog post and I have to say that the challenges and aspirations outlined here remain relevant to the conversation.