This week’s rockin’ guest post is from one of my fave Twitter people, Scott Hepburn. Scott is a copywriter for PRstore, a full-service marketing and PR company with franchises nationwide. He blogs at Media Emerging and plays devil’s advocate on Twitter as @ScottHepburn.

So, you’ve finally scored an interview for a social media gig. A client or employer would like you to lead them to the social media Promised Land. But should you turn them down?

Before taking the job/project, ask some questions. It’s a good idea in any job interview, especially when the employer (or client) has visions of social media grandeur. How they answer might raise red flags about their readiness for social media.

Here are some questions to gauge an employer’s social media readiness:

Listening

–  How are you listening to your customers currently?
–  Who is currently monitoring conversations about your company/brand?
–  Where have you set up listening posts?
–  Are you listening to customer conversations that aren’t about your brand, per se?
–  Are you listening to conversations about your competitors?
–  What tools/technologies are you using to monitor conversations?

Customers

–  Are you willing to give customers the tools to tell others about their experience with your company?
–  Are you willing to let your customers own your brand?
–  Do you know who your brand enthusiasts are?
–  Do you know who your brand critics are?
–  In what ways are you already interacting with your customers – aside from the actual transaction?

People

–  Who are the voices of this company?
–  Are you prepared to let others become voices of this company? Are you willing to promote those voices?
–  Are there stakeholders you don’t want representing the company?
–  How much freedom do you give employees to participate in the company’s social media projects?

Goals

–  Why do you want to use social media?
–  What do you hope to accomplish through social media?
–  How did you choose these goals?
–  How do you plan to measure progress?
–  What are your benchmarks? How did you determine these benchmarks?
–  Do you have a deadline for success?

Resources

–  How much time are you willing to dedicate to social media projects?
–  How much money are you willing to invest?
–  How did you arrive at these resource allocations?
–  Will other departments invest their time in social media initiatives?

A job in social media or an exciting new client project can be a rewarding challenge. But before you bite, do your due diligence. Extracting yourself from a social media minefield is tricky business. Asking the right questions is a good way to survey the landscape.