SubscribeCongrats to SDSU Grad @AllisonSchummer! and Social Media Job Search Tips
I recently welcomed the lovely Allison Schummer to my team. As an aspiring marketer and very recent SDSU grad about to enter the work force, Allison’s ambition has positively fueled her to not only help my company grow, but also continue learning and educating herself about digital marketing and social media. Allison has shared with everyone things she’s learned about networking, social media and marketing since we’ve been working together and insights from volunteering at my Digital Media Now seminar. Since she just graduated she shares how she personally is using social media in her job search. These tips are great for both beginners getting into the space and anyone who could use a little refresher! Before she begins a huge CONGRATULATIONS is in order to her for completing her degree just a few days ago at SDSU!
HIT IT ALLISON!
Since I just finished my life as a college student at SDSU, it’s got me thinking about my next step in life: a career. As I enter in the professional market and have started looking for job opportunities, I have realized the importance of optimizing your Social Media profiles. Listed below are ways Social Media has helped me and can help you in your professional job search:
Consistently Branding yourself on Social Media Profiles:
It’s very important to brand yourself on your Social Media sites and make sure you are consistent within each one. This makes it easier for potential employers to search for you on the web. One way to brand yourself as a professional is to claim your own Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn URL’s.
Connecting with Professionals:
I have found it very useful to follow and connect with professionals in the marketing and social media industry on Twitter and LinkedIn. Through connecting with these professionals I am not only expanding my professional network, but I am also learning more about the careers and industries that I am interested in. You never know who you will connect with who may have a job opportunity suited for you. I’ve also noticed different job postings by professionals I’ve connected with.
Tailor Social Networks:
It’s so important to tailor your Social Networking sites towards the position or career you are interested in. For example, for someone interested in Marketing, it’s important to tweet about up-to-date marketing strategies or blog about topics relating to Marketing. This shows potential employers that you are truly passionate about the position or career you are pursuing. It’s also important to edit your Social Networking sites to make sure nothing too personal is being displayed. It probably wouldn’t be the best idea to post pictures of you doing a keg stand at some party on your Facebook page. Since Social Networking sites are often employer’s first impressions of you, you want to post or tweet about topics that are appropriate.
These are just a few tips that have helped in my job search so far! Thanks to a prior blog post from Melodie on 10 Ways to Land Your Next Job Through Social Media, I also learned other ways to utilize Social Media to find my next job. If anybody has some more great tips that would help me in a job seeking, feel free to follow me on Twitter, I would greatly appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you!
Networking Tips I Learned from Meeting @KeithFerrazzi in San Diego
I had the honor of meeting my favorite author, Keith Ferrazzi in San Diego this week at the Entrepreneur Challenge Fall Kickoff Event at UCSD where he interviewed the renowned Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Co-founder of Qualcomm. As I mentioned in my post welcoming Keith Ferrazzi to San Diego, there’s not a single time I recommend a business book that I don’t mention his best seller, Never Eat Alone! I’ve learned so many great tips for networking, connecting and building professional relationships through Keith’s books, blogs and videos. Meeting him in person really reinforced many of these tips Here’s a glimpse of my amazing evening spent networking with entrepreneurs and meeting Keith Ferrazzi. I’ll end the post with valuable networking tips you can apply to the very next event you attend!
The evening started off with a networking dinner so of course, I had an opportunity to meet some great community leaders, UCSD students and affiliates. The photo below is a prime example of never eating alone!
I followed one of Keith’s golden rules for meeting the speaker at the event. Get to the speaker, before he goes on stage! I saw Keith Ferrazzi walk by and immediately went up and introduced myself to him. He’s extremely personable, enthusiastic and positive. I manifested this exact moment into my life because in 2009 when Who’s Got Your Back came out, I told Keith Ferrazzi that I would get his second book when I met him so he could autograph it and that’s exactly what happened!
After enjoying a great dinner, Dr. Irwin Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi took the stage. Keith Ferrazzi’s job was to be curious and ask Dr. Jacob’s questions related to the topic of “Why great relationships matter in business?” Keith did a great job at asking questions that prompted Dr. Jacobs to share his inspirational story. As both a Marketer and an Entrepreneur, I really resonated with both Dr. Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi. I definitely learned a lot about having a vision and following it, being a great leader and of course networking! Below are some networking tips I’ve learned from Keith Ferrazzi, some of them definitely came into play during this particular event!
1. Reach out before the event- If you’re attending an event and want to meet someone specific, reach out to them before the event. I’ve already discussed how to work a conference before it begins. This tip is very similar. Social Media is a great resource that allows you to connect. Before attending the event, I tweeted Keith a bunch of times and of course wrote my post to welcome Keith to San Diego. Reaching out can also be done by a simple email. You can let someone know that you enjoyed an article they wrote, congratulate them on a recent accomplishment or connect with them on a more personal level if you know a hobby they enjoy. (In the tweets below I engaged several people in conversation about Keith Ferrazzi and I even received a reply from him acknowledging that he would see me tomorrow!)
2. Arrive Early- If you want to meet the Speakers, they’ll definitely be at the event at least 30 minutes before hand. Chances are the speaker won’t be bombarded by everyone else so you may have an opportunity to introduce yourself before anyone else. If you wait until after the event to try and connect with a speaker, chances are they’re going to be busy talking to everyone else and also thinking about going home so it’s harder to make a personal connection. I actually arrived at UCSD 30 minutes early so was one of the first one who was let into the room.
3. Talk To the Organizer- Arriving early also gives you a chance to find and introduce yourself to the organizer and let him/her know who you may be looking to connect with. Ask the organizer if there’s anyone they feel would be a great connection for your industry. The organizer knows everything that’s happening behind the scenes and everyone who’s going to be at the event. See if they can introduce you to some other attendees or even the speaker. When approaching the organizer, make sure to be mindful of their time since they’re probably still planning last minute updates and make sure to thank them for hosting you.
4. Ask Questions- After many presentations and panels there is often a chance for audience Q & A. This is your golden opportunity to get in front of the room and let others know what you do. Before asking your questions, clearly state your name with a brief intro. Since you have everyone’s attention, there very well may be others in the room who are seeking your service, product or who many want to collaborate with you. Asking questions not only gives you mic time, it also allows you to interact and stand out to the speakers and attendees.
5. Give Books as Gifts- Since the holidays are approaching so quickly, tis the season to start thinking of gifts for your prospects, clients and colleagues. Books are full of information and are personal because you’re recommending something that has helped you. Autographed books are even better! Keith reminded me of how great of gifts books can be as he was signing mine. He asked if there was anyone I’d like to give “Who’s Got Your Back” to so he could sign the book to that person. I didn’t have anyone in mind, so I just told him to sign his name in case I did want to give the book away as a gift. Well Keith came up with an even better idea by writing “Melodie’s Got Your Back”. This way I’m able to keep the book myself or also give it away as a gift.
Again, it was such an honor to meet my favorite author, hear Dr. Jacobs speak and connect with other Entrepreneurs. I’m grateful that attending the event inspired me to refresh my own networking skills, allowing me to share tips with you. If you have additional networking tips, please leave them in the comments below! I’m personally hosting a networking event and seminar coming up on Wed. November 2nd! If you’d like to attend my next seminar where you’ll definitely have a chance to apply these networking tips, you can register here. If it’s your first time attending one of my seminars, please email me: melodie at marketing melodie dot com and I’ll send you a code fore $10 off. Happy Networking and if you don’t already have Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your back, check them out at your local library or purchase them! You won’t be disappointed.
Social Media On The Big Screens: Catfish and The Social Network
I posed a simple question to my Facebook and Twitter friends: “What movies are out there that feature Journalists as main characters? I’ve seen tons but can’t think of them all. Need this for a blog post!”
Thanks to the infinite power of Social Media within 10 minutes I had a list of over 30 movies featuring a Journalist as a main character. Movies on the list include: All The Presidents Men, True Crime, Almost Famous, the mysterious Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Insider, Shattered Glass, Good Night and Good Luck, State of Play, the fashionable Devil Wears Prada, the indestructible Super Man and the list goes on.
The high response rate to my question made it crystal clear that “traditional” media jobs are extremely popular and even sexy on the big screens. But as technology continues to evolve and the occupation “Journalist” (in the traditional sense of writing for a newspaper ) continues to diminish as a position companies are seeking, having a “Journalist” in a new age movie doesn’t match up with current trends. This became evident to me in the past week as I’ve had the privilege of watching two sneak previews, both featuring Social Media: Catfish and The Social Network.
The rest of this post isn’t a spoiler. I’ll be sharing some of my insight and observations after watching two movies that feature Social Media as the main component.
Catfish- This documentary is about a photographer, Nev who lives in New York. An eight-year-old girl, Abby from rural Michigan contacts him and asks permission to draw one of his photographs that appeared in a newspaper. He receives her remarkable painting and starts a friendship and online correspondence with Abby’s family. This is just the beginning of an online mystery. The main topics brought to my attention were online persona’s versus real life and online security. We often don’t think twice about who we’re corresponding with online and take everyone for face value. But the internet can be a dangerous tool that allows us to create different personas, use different photos to identify ourselves and hide from our real identity through a computer screen. For many people, our online persona is a true reflection of our personality, but not for everyone. Nev’s correspondence turns into a mystery that brings up the questions of online security. He doesn’t think twice about disclosing secrets, personal information and even developing a romantic connection with someone he’s never met met until things start getting fishy one clue at a time.
The Social Network- The deep rooted desire for humans to have connections with others is fed through online social networks. The Social Network is a story about Facebook, formerly called The Facebook’s creation and evolution into today’s powerful tool that most of us can’t live without. This movie brought back memories to me for the early days of Facebook in 2004. The “mini-feed” that used to annoy everyone showed up on the big screen, now we can’t live without the feed of current information about 500 of our closest friends. The movie portrays the crucial moment when “Relationship Status” was invented which now allows us to find out if there may be a chance with the hot guy or girl we just met. “Can I have your number?” is so 1990’s, we all know the real pick up line is “Can I add you on Facebook?” The Social Network is a true story and drama that perfectly depicts the rapid growth of technology, how our lives are so quickly transformed by the digital age and the viral power of the internet.
Seeing Social Media on the big screen continues to validate it’s importance in our every day lives. While traditional media jobs were so prominent in a significant number of movies, my prediction for the future of movies is that occupations of featured characters will center more around technology jobs, the internet and more specifically Social Media.
Have you seen other movies that feature Social Media?
10 Things I do to Work a Conference Before it Begins
My company has been sending me to many conferences lately and I definitely can’t complain. However it’s important to keep in mind that “working” a conference is different than just “attending”. I’ve already blogged about things to do DURING a conference to engage your Twitter followers. I’ve also blogged about post conference strategies AFTER you attend on how to turn a follow up email into a connection. But what about BEFORE the conference begins? As I prepare for PubCon I want to share my top 10 personal conference preparation list . Read more
How to Turn a Follow Up Email into a Connection
I love attending conferences because they continue to provide me with inspiration and ideas to create relevant online content for me to share. This week I’ve received many follow up emails from DMA09. I want to praise those on a great job for being prompt and also remind everyone that if a follow up email is drafted a certain way it can sometimes be viewed as unwanted solicitation, aka spam! Read more
Keith Ferrazzi, San Diego Has Your Back! #WGYBSD
If you haven’t heard of Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back? I want to share the inspiration I’ve gained through his work and the enthusiasm I have for spreading his teachings to my network. Here’s my personal description of Keith Ferrazzi, he’s an inspirational marketer in the business of helping other businesses build strong communities and strengthen their relationships to attract strategic partners and loyal customers. He transformed professional networking by shifting the focus on making the event all about you to how you can help and provide value to others. Read more
