Tag Archives: social media

FAQ: Should I let employers see my social media channels?

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This week’s FAQ seems an appropriate follow up question to my earlier post about what you should and shouldn’t do while representing yourself online. Should you let employers see your social media channels? You might think it’s none of their business, that you’ll share some but not others, or just don’t know. Here are some things to consider in order to help you answer the question:

Social media is a good way to showcase yourself.

Using your social media channels to create an online persona that potential and current employers can interact with is important in this day and age. As I’ve mentioned before, if you’re looking to work anywhere near social media or online marketing, you BETTER have an online presence that displays your experience in a positive way!

Social Media Love

If you have nothing to hide, why not?

There is a lot of controversy out there about whether or not your potential employer should have the “right” to see your social media profiles in, before, or after an interview. However, as I read the stories I can’t help but wonder, if you have nothing to hide, why wouldn’t you let an employer see you on social media? Now, I do know that there are exceptions to the rule, but really, I WANT my boss to see that I’m rocking it on Twitter, or that my Pinterest account is driving traffic to my blog. Facebook is admittedly a little trickier; however, think about this: do you want to work for an employer that would judge you for having a great time at dinner with your friends Friday night?

Not doing so could cost you the job.

Again, I realize that this may not hold true for every field out there, but in general, if you keep all your social media channels private you might not get the job. Think about it…if the other candidates are tweeting about information related to the industry, have an awesome Pathbrite portfolio, or even public Facebook posts sharing articles that would interest a recruiter/employer, and you don’t, do you think you’ll get the job?

I’ll let you be the judge. Ultimately, it is your decision whether to share or not, but hopefully this gets you thinking about why it’s probably a really good idea.

What’s your opinion? Tell me in the comments!

FAQ: How can someone work in social media?

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Working on social media

Me, working on social media!

Periodically, I will select a frequently asked question (FAQ) about social media or online marketing, and make my very best attempt at providing a thoughtful and helpful answer. Make sure to share your FAQs with me via the comments below, on Facebook, or on Twitter (use hashtag #SM4students).

This FAQ came from my mom (shameless shoutout!). She explained that when she tries to tell her friends and colleagues what I do, she often gets blank stares or confused expressions, or perhaps a, “What? How do you work in social media!?” I realized that I too often have to explain myself when people realize that I get paid to tweet. While the perception might be that I am getting paid to click “Post” on Facebook, the reality is that there is much more to it. So, I’ll try to explain the answer to the question, “How can someone work in social media?” by describing some of the most common social media job descriptions.

Common Types of Social Media Jobs

1. Online Community (or Marketing) Manager – Community managers are most often responsible for monitoring social media networks on behalf of a business or brand. They listen to the community or audience and help translate engagement, questions, comments, etc. into ideas for future strategies, campaigns, and content. It is important for community managers to be able to represent the business in a positive light, as well as proactively respond to negative comments or responses. This requires an intelligent understanding of the brand’s voice, how the business traditionally interacts with customers, and who the target market or markets include, not to mention an intimate working knowledge of all the top social media networks.

2. Social Media Strategist – A person in this role is responsible for working with the marketing team to think up unique and creative campaigns to unleash online. They will also look at which social media channels are most appropriate for the business to have a presence, and which are likely to yield the best benefits. A social media strategist might also be the person responsible for analyzing the results of any social media campaigns through growth metrics, website traffic, or lead conversions.

3. Content Creator or Copywriter – As they say, “Content is King,” and a social media copywriter is responsible for making sure that a business’ content is fresh, creative, appropriate, and written/built to engage their social media community. Honestly, this can be a full time job depending on the size and scope of the organization.

4. Multi-tasking Social Media Genius – Okay, so I made up this job title, but I thought it worth mentioning since it’s pretty much what I do. Since the social media industry is still in its infancy, many social media jobs have different responsibilities attached than what I’ve mentioned and/or there is one to two people that do all of the above as one role. For example, my job includes posting, monitoring, responding, scheduling, listening, strategy and campaign development, content gathering and creation, analysis and reporting, consulting, training…and the list could go on!

Beyond these common positions, there are also many opportunities for Social Media Directors, Coordinators, Managers, etc. – all of which vary in responsibility. And on top of all that, almost every marketing position, and definitely every online marketing position requires knowledge of how to use social media to market a brand (not just how to use your personal Facebook profile to see what your friends are doing Friday night!).

Where are the social media jobs? How much do they pay? Check out this great infographic from Onward Search for some insight:

Social Media Jobs and Salaries Guide
© 2012 Onward Search

Did I answer the question or am I missing something? Let me know in the comments!

The New & Improved SocialMediaForStudents.com!

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I have finally gotten to an item that has been on my mental to-do list for over a year now – revive SocialMediaForStudents.com!

Check!Having originally created this site for my senior honors thesis, I did what I promised I wouldn’t and barely touched it after I completed my thesis presentation (in which I got an A+)! I could list excuses for not having posted in over a year, but I’m more excited about announcing the following:

1. SMFS Got a Face-Lift!

I thought it only appropriate that the re-introduction of SMFS came complete with a new look, updated info, and new, exciting ideas for content. Some of the changes include:

2. New FAQs Blog Series

When I asked myself what types of content I want to start posting, I came up with the idea of starting a FAQs blog series. In other words, I’ll answer a FAQ about social media or online marketing. While I have started a list of what I think are frequently asked questions about social media, I want to hear what questions are on your mind. Post them in the comments below, and I’ll add them to the list!

Now, as I once wrote, too long ago…join me in learning social media one lesson at a time!

Lesson 3: Social Media is Always Evolving

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subcribe feature on FacebookWhether we like it or not, social media is constantly evolving.  Although there are small changes happening on many social media platforms, the platform that is currently consuming headlines is Facebook.  As I am sure many of you have already noticed, Facebook has recently made some major changes in the way it’s social network functions.

Arguably the most influential change is the ability to “subscribe” to Facebook Users’ updates.  Not only can you now subscribe to people who you aren’t friends with, you can also choose what updates you are subscribed to from your friends.  In addition, there are more options concerning what you see in your news feed – you have the option to hide stories, change your subscription, or unsubscribe altogether.  You can read more about this feature here: Introducing the Subscribe Button.

What is more important about these changes is the implications it has on social media marketing.  Now users can still like your page, but choose not to see any of your updates in their news feed.  What does this mean?  You have to be even more diligent about what you’re posting, when you’re posting, and how often you are posting.  Here are some resources for learning how to go about posting to Facebook:

Moral of the story?  Make sure you stay up-to-date on the evolution of social media – and be aware of how it affects your social media marketing strategy.

Anything you’d like to add?  Share it in the comments!

Lesson 2: Facebook Etiquette

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As my senior year begins at Colorado State University, it is more evident than ever that everyone is gearing up for the all-important, yet alarmingly nerve-racking, job search. The next few months are filled with resume workshops, mock interviews, and networking events – but nobody is paying any attention to their online persona.

It should be stressed – your online persona a.k.a. social media must be polished just as much when embarking on a job search! Companies are no longer oblivious to the amount of information they can find out about a person on Facebook – and they know just about every college student has a Facebook page. What does this mean? Your future employer is checking you out online – looking at your pictures, reading comments, etc. – and if you have a whole album of your drinking photos or are chatting it up on your wall about how you played hooky last Friday, you better bet you won’t get that callback!

Wondering what to do now? Check out this great article, “Essential Social Media Etiquette for College Students: Six Tips.” This should get you started on revamping your Facebook page into something that represents you positively and professionally.

Do you have any more great Facebook tips you’d like to share?

Becoming a Certified HootSuite Professional

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Certified HootSuite ProfessionalIf you haven’t heard of HootSuite, it is a brilliant social media dashboard that makes managing social media accounts a breeze.   As a HootSuite Pro account holder, I am able to add unlimited social media accounts and streams to one dashboard for easy and controlled management. For Community Management, HootSuite is a life saver.

Having used HootSuite for quite some time now I decided it would only be fitting to become a Certified HootSuite Professional.  In order to do so, one must enroll themselves in HootSuite University – a series of online tutorials and webinars that walk you through the many uses of the HootSuite Dashboard.  After completing the required courses for certification, you are awarded a certification and badge.

I am proud to have completed my certification today – so of course I am showing off my new badge!

Lesson 1: What is new media?

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In order to understand what new media is, one might wonder what is old media?  Well, what you might think of as old media is what we call traditional media – newspapers, magazines, and television.  If we are even more detailed, traditional media also might include radio, books, and all other print publications.  New media is the digitization of traditional forms of media, meaning pretty much everything that exists on your computer and the internet!  And these days new media exists on not only our computers, but our cell phones, electronic tablets, PDAs, music players, and every other electronic device we might own.

Some examples?  This blog. Wikipedia. The pages you like on Facebook. Online newsletter archives. The videos you favorite on YouTube. The photos you peruse on Flickr. And the list goes on and on.

The Future of Social Media

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There is a series of articles hosted by Gist, titled Future Of Social Media Series that explores the roles social media is expected to play in various fields of business.  I was particulary interested in the article How Job Seekers May Use Social Media in the Future.  Not only are students like me learning how to market themselves for jobs using social media, but companies are beginning to use social media for recruiting.  LinkedIn is a great example of this; however, I was surprised to read that some companies have their employees post on their Twitter and Facebook accounts that the company is hiring, in hopes of recruiting potential hires that are friends of friends.

Note to self: Never underestimate social media as a job seeking tool!

The Beginning

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Why am I really writing this blog you may ask? (Besides the reasons in the “About” section.)  For several reasons, but the most prominent is in order to create my Senior Honors Thesis for the Colorado State University Honors Program.  Luckily, an Honors Thesis is different than a Graduate Thesis in the respect that it doesn’t have to be a research paper (WooHoo!), but it can be a creative project – something that reflects my interests in a unique way.  Therefore, this site will serve as the creative project for my Honors Thesis, as well as a way for me to share my journey as an Honors student.  So, bear with me while I tackle my thesis and try to be creative!