Social Media

With Employability

Lisa Harris
Senior Lecturer in Marketing

Ellie Stringer
Philosophy BA Digichamp

Merel van Dijke

KISM MA Digichamp

@LisaHarris

@MissEllieish

@MerelACE

Who we are

What does Google like?

Social media interaction with digital content is the *biggest influence* on its search visibility: 1. Facebook shares 2. Facebook comments 3. Facebook likes 4. Tweets http://www.socialmediastrategist.co.uk/blog/1-news/175-socialmedia-seo Google Hummingbird for the latest updatea new engine for Google

Content, content, content

People sharing/liking your content has an SEO benefit Good content is a top reason why people follow brands on social media Build social capital by giving away good stuff endorsements and sales will follow Content can educate, inform, entertain or inspireresulting in brand advocates Facebooks Edgerank score increases with engagement, decreases with negativity. This influences how many people get to view a brands post in their newsfeed

Did you know?

Digital marketing principles can also be applied to ourselves to attract potential employers For example, creative videos produced by candidates now play an important role in the job application process As do blogging, tweeting and participating in relevant online communities such as LinkedIn 30 million students and recent graduates are now on LinkedIn, its fastest-growing demographic.

Why should you care?

A standard CV is no longer sufficient to stand out from the crowd in a global and rapidly evolving job market.
We are currently preparing students for jobs that dont yet exist, using technologies that havent been invented, in order to solve problems we dont even know are problems yet. - Karl Fisch, Did You Know

So what are employers doing?

According to a recent study by Jobvite

92% of recruiters use social media in the hiring process 80% had been positively influenced by a candidates professional social network
profile

78% had been negatively influenced towards a candidates inappropriate use of

social media

The best candidates might not be actively looking for a new job (up to 90% of the workforce) Social media can identify the best talent , encourage conversation and build relationships with them Enables recruiters to promote their company as a great place to work

So what should job seekers do?

Recognise that building an online personal brand is now a critical aspect of career development It boosts our reputation and gives us new skills in communication, creativity and reflective thinking. The information we display on social networks should actively encourage rather than discourage potential employers

Dont opt out - finding NOTHING about a person on a Google

search creates a negative impression too

Dangers of Digital Footprint

Would you want prospective employers to see your facebook photos? What first impressions would they get?

If you don't want something causing you embarrassment in the future, then it's a very good idea to be careful about how you represent yourself on social media.

Source: Reppler.com

Reaction to my tweet was immediate, overwhelming and provides a good lesson on why 140 characters should not be used to comment on controversial or sensitive issues...
Source: BBC News 8/7/10

...investigated after he "accidentally" posted an image to his personal Facebook page which had been intended for his partner's mobile phone.

Source: BBC News 13/12/12

My direct boss and the human-resources representative pulled me into one of three relatively tiny conference rooms and informed me that the company no longer had any use for me. Essentially, they explained, they didnt like what I had expressed on my Web site.
Source: The New York Times: 23/2/11

His comment [to a female tweeter] (Nice pic. Phwoaaarr! MOL) was rapidly retweeted, with responses such as @Ryanair how is it appropriate for an airline CEO to be a sexist pig?
Source: The Independent 22/10/13

Not all publicity is bad, however...

BUT its not all bad news!

Source: Reppler.com

Positive/Tips

Facebook: People I know! LinkedIn: People I professionally know! Twitter: People I dont know!

Announce your job hunt to the world

Facebook: Tell and tag your friends/family! LinkedIn: Tell (previous) colleagues: Targeted personal messages Place status updates Change your headline Announce in groups Twitter: Tell your friends/family, but also people you WANT to know! @Mention followers # Mention the jobhunt/type of job you want

Announce your job hunt to the world

Facebook: Tell and tag your friends/family! LinkedIn: Tell (previous) colleagues: Targeted personal messages Place status updates Change your headline Announce in groups Twitter: Tell your friends/family, but also people you WANT to know! @Mention followers # Mention the jobhunt/type of job you want

Find the job openings first

LinkedIn: Made for the professional market and very easy tools to find the job you want.

Twitter Many companies put their job openings on Twitter. Following companies that youd want to work for therefore helps you to be the first to respond to a job youll like!

Get to know the company

LinkedIn: Company Profile Find profiles of companys employees Find the names of recruiters

Twitter What are the employees doing? (Zappos) What does the company care about?

Make yourself discoverable

Twitter: Recruiters are looking for you. Tweet interesting stuff! Tweet thoughtfully. #keywords are key! LinkedIn: Use keywords (specialties) in your profile

Demonstrate your interest/expertise

Twitter: Tweet interesting stuff Actually USE Twitter.

LinkedIn: Join and post in groups that are interesting and relevant to you,

Network before you need it

LinkedIn: Build up a network to fall back to if you lose your job. Join groups - Be engaged - Be proactive Twitter: Engage! Relevant tweets can lead to @reply or a DM (direct message) from hiring managers.

Success Stories

Justin Bieber was discovered on Youtube by a talent manager at age 14.

Nicolette Weinbaum took out a $200 linkedin ad to market herself.

Chris Putnam created a Facebook virus as a prank which made Facebook pages look like Myspace pages.

Bilal Jaffrey using #socialCV hashtag pointed the recruiter at an article he wrote on social strategy.

Stacy Lambe turned a picture of Hillary Clinton into a viral meme on tumblr.

So what are your next steps?

MANAGE YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS!

Reppler
Go to http://reppler.com and check your own social media profiles. The tool highlights any inappropriate content, and shows you what aspects of your information are publicly available. Then you can connect directly to Facebook to edit your privacy settings and adjust the visibility of your content as necessary.

Reppler

Figure out who to follow

1. Join forums, sites and groups where you can show your knowledge in your area of expertise

2. Dont be afraid of a bit of stalking: tools like http://www.twellow.com allow you to search for twitter accounts associated with a company, area of expertise

Engage with them

3. Get stuck into asking questions spark off interactions between a whole network of engaged people that you can then branch out and connect with.

4. Cultivate your relationships with those who reach out/ who you admire, and be personable:

people hire/recommend people, not robots

Keep up-to-date
5. Follow recruitment accounts who post job opportunities often: @GuardianJobs 6. Facebook apps for employability: Social Jobs Partnership

Go from online to offline

4. Look for meet-ups and events related to your area: http://www.uk.meetup.com http://www.eventbrite.com

5. Follow/get peoples social handles straight away (after meeting or emailing) so they are more likely to remember you.

Find out more:

blog.soton.ac.uk/digichamps

Questions?