Social MediaWith Employability

Who we are

LisaHarris

Senior Lecturer in Marketing

@LisaHarris

Ellie Stringer

Philosophy BADigichamp

@MissEllieish

Merelvan Dijke

KISM MADigichamp

@MerelACE

What does Google like?★ Social media interaction with digital content is the *biggest

influence* on its search visibility:

1. Facebook shares2. Facebook comments3. Facebook likes4. Tweets

http://www.socialmediastrategist.co.uk/blog/1-news/175-social-media-seo

★ Google “Hummingbird” for the latest update…a “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 inspire…resulting in brand advocates

★ Facebook’s “Edgerank” score increases with engagement, decreases with negativity. This influences how many people get to view a brand’s 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 don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t 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 candidate’s professional social network profile

○ 78% had been negatively influenced towards a candidate’s 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

★ Don’t “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 didn’t like what I had expressed on my Web site.”

Source: The New York Times: 23/2/11

Source: The Independent 22/10/13

“His comment [to a female tweeter] (“Nice pic. Phwoaaarr! MOL”) was rapidly re-tweeted, with responses such as “@Ryanair how is it appropriate for an airline CEO to be a sexist pig?” ”

Not all publicity is bad, however...

Source: Reppler.com

BUT it’s not all bad news!

Positive/Tips

★ Facebook: People I know!★ LinkedIn: People I professionally know!★ Twitter: People I don’t know!

Announce your job hunt to the worldFacebook: 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 worldFacebook: 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 you’d want to work for therefore helps you to be the first to respond to a job you’ll like!

Get to know the company

LinkedIn: ★ Company Profile★ Find profiles of company’s 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. Don’t 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

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

Engage with them

5. Follow recruitment accounts who post job opportunities often:

@GuardianJobs

6. Facebook apps for employability:

Social Jobs Partnership

Keep up-to-date

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?