Getting a Job from Someone Who Has One

~ For my second blog post I interviewed a recent college graduate who has a job and is living in Boston Massachusetts. I thought it would be valuable for many of us finishing up our final semester and looking for jobs to see what she did to land a job!

~ Kelsey is a marketing associate at Kyruus, Inc., a solutions company that helps hospitals and health systems optimize their Patient Access, Referral Management, and Care Coordination operations. After graduating from West Virginia University in 2014, she set out to find a job in a big city and landed in Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston, MA

~ Currently at Kyruus Kelsey holds many of the marketing, sales, advertising, and communication responsibilities. This includes:

• Creating of marketing and sales collateral, including blog posts, press releases, print and digital campaigns, presentation materials, website content, and reports.
• Tracking of multi-channel marketing metrics to optimize lead generation efforts
• Leveraging marketing campaigns through tools like Mailchimp, Salesforce.com, and WordPress
• Maintaining Kyruus’ social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Q: What do you give most credit to in finding a job?

A: Always saying “yes” to anything that comes your way, finding out what your passion is early on and going for it, reading everything you can get your hands on how to land a career straight out of college and seeking out mentors. Also, I found that crafting your resume to stand out both content and design wise gives you a few bonus points.

Q: How did social media help/ effect your job search?

A: It helped pretty tremendously – especially when it came to receiving advice. I would engage in Twitter chats, constantly scan Twitter for any job postings using buzzwords like “#marketingjobs” and again, finding articles relevant to your job search

~This twitter account tweets constant jobs around in world in Marketing/ advertising fields. I use it as a reference to look for jobs.

Q: What advice do you have for college grads looking for a job?

A: Reach out! Stay connected to the companies you love on the internet and on their social media networks and engage them in conversation any chance you get.  Another pointer I have — make your own website. Put your portfolio on there and start a blog. It’ll all be worth it, I promise.

College graduation at Pitt

~ Here is a neat article from huffington post about finding a job!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_b_4777598.html

 

Q: What social media platforms is your company on?

A: Kyruus has a strong presence on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and most recently, Instagram. We also have a blog that we post a ton of thought leadership content on.

*These sites are used all day every day by the company

Q: Do you think that showing personality on your social media is good or bad in job searches?

A: It’s probably the best thing you can do in my opinion — companies want to hire you for YOU. Let yourself shine.

*Kelsey`s key is to post only things you would be comfortable being on the front page of The New York Times

Q: What is the image you try to give across your social media platforms?

A: That I’m a young professional that loves what they do and cares about the world.

*Companies want to see that you have passion and will thrive in their environment.

Q: How do you feel professionalism and personality combine on social media?

A: I think social media is a great place to showcase both your passions and your personality — so let your interests shine through and I can almost guarantee you’ll have an employer who is a great fit interested soon.

* Employers are looking for people who use it as a“medium for expressing interest in their career passions and having meaningful conversations about current events and hot news topics.”

 

Q: If your company has social media, who runs it ? (is it a specified positions or engrained in everyones job?)

A: I run Kyruus’s social media as their marketing associate. I own the core responsibility of maintaining the company’s digital communications (website, blog and social media.)

*Said in conversation or other questions not included in the interview

~ denotes my voice

Sources

Interview with Kelsey Montgomery

Kyruus.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-p-joyce/job-search-tips_b_4777598.html

How to Get a Job: Do What Everyone Else Isn’t Doing

Let’s begin by stating something totally obvious: social media gives us the chance to keep tabs on what everyone in our lives is doing, thinking, and feeling, all of the time. But let’s take that truth a step further to investigate the implications of this connectivity: platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram also place us closer to future employers than any generation has had the opportunity to be.

As I apply for jobs and watch those around me do the same, one overwhelming truth has asserted itself. It’s true that being qualified for a particular position and having relevant class and internship experience is helpful in proving that you will be a strong, valuable asset to whatever organization or company you would like to work for. But it’s also true that in the unfortunate reality of the current workplace, none of these qualifications matter if you’re unable to get employers to even glance at your application.

Online applications can be a beautiful thing—they’re easy to find, can be completed from anywhere, and can be finished and submitted in minutes without ever leaving your couch. The consequential downfall to this accessibility is that it makes it easier for everyone to complete them, and this influx of applications makes it ever easier for yours to get lost in the clutter.

But never fear! This is where the power of social media can help turn the odds of getting hired back in your favor. If you’re looking to get hired in a highly competitive field, like journalism, public relations, or event planning and coordination, using social media to follow companies in those fields can give you access to each company’s culture and goals. This can help you make more informed decisions about where you’d like to work, and which companies are more compatible with your personality and ultimate ideals.

But the most successful way to ensure that your application gets read by recruiters stems from a simple principle—people are more likely to hire people that they know. The trick is to get to know your interviewers before they receive your application, working a combination of online research and networking. Formally, this is called an informational interview.

To set up a successful informational interview, look up the website for the company you’re interested in working for and obtain the email address of the person in position to hire. Just about all companies feature a “Contact Us” section on its website, complete with names, titles, and emails of all higher-ups in the organization. With this contact information, type up a quick, to-the-point email (recruiters are busy; they don’t have time to sit and read lengthy, wordy notes) that contains a few key points:

• Always address the letter to someone in particular, NEVER “To Whom it May Concern.” You’re looking to meet with this specific person, so take the time to do your research about who is in charge.
• Introduce yourself. Tell him/her who you are, why you’re interested in the field, and how your prior experiences have piqued those interests.
• More specifically, include why you’d like to speak to that individual person. If you’re emailing a journalist, cite articles that they’ve written as a jumping-off point for your conversation. If it’s a public relations or marketing professional, talk about the work they’ve done on a certain campaign. Be able to demonstrate how an interview with this person will be the most beneficial for you.

Though this may seem like a shot in the dark, recruiters will always appreciate some hard-thought effort. Personally, I’ve sent out seven emails requesting informational interviews, and I’ve only been turned down or ignored once.

Once you’ve scheduled the interview, come prepared to meet with thoughtful, engaging questions that serve the dual benefit of obtaining important information about the function of the company and introducing yourself and your skill set to this potential employer. Keep your tone as conversational as possible, but remember to convey your genuine interest in the opportunities available. The ultimate goal of these interviews is simple: you’re getting a leg up on the rest of the applicants for any position by making yourself memorable to the people who will be blindly forced to evaluate hundreds of applications.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Plan a clear agenda before the interview. Don’t expect to receive the information you want without asking the right questions!
• If it’s going well, ask for other contacts in the field. While you should constantly be mindful about respecting your interviewee’s time, they undoubtedly have access to a variety of contacts in the field. If you have questions that they, specifically, can’t answer, don’t hesitate to ask for alternative sources.
• Be prepared to answer precise questions about your job search, as well as your career goals. Prepare a short personal statement to make the process easier.

It’s an unpleasant truth that in today’s job market, a good resume stands a decent chance of never being read. When you make yourself stand out by using social media effectively and by making a concerted effort to reach out to employers first, they’ll be sure to “keep a special eye on” your application (an actual quote from an employer I contacted) when they catch it in the mix!

And remember—always, always, always follow up on the interview. Employers are not being paid to meet with you, and to find time in their hectic schedules to do so shouldn’t be taken for granted. Always send sincere thank-you notes within a week of the interview!

The informational interview is a useful tactic for a simple reason: many other people won’t go the extra mile to do it. But with these tips, we can put ourselves ahead of the rest and GET OURSELVES JOBS! You know why?

Managing Your Social Media Self-Worth

At this point in the semester, we know a lot about the ways that a person can use social media for professional purposes. Businesses can market their products and services on social media and individuals can market themselves. We’ve also talked about our personal uses of social media, and how that personal use is becoming increasingly professional for many of us. One of the class discussions that really stuck with me was our conversation about voice and craft. We craft a specific voice on social media to persuade people to like us and agree with our message. We post photos and share content that will make others like us, literally and figuratively. But after reading a recent article on the Entrepreneur, I found myself wondering if we sometimes sacrifice our true selves for a voice that will get us more likes.

The article highlights a recent study of social media use by Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield. The duo surveyed over 1,600 participants online and found that many of us have become social media “trophy hunters.” This means that 58% of the people surveyed claimed that attempting to craft the perfect post has prevented them from enjoying life. Participants also admitted to neglecting their loves ones, driving recklessly, feeling humiliated while snapping selfies in public, and posting things that they would never say in real life. People seem to focus on crafting a voice that will gain them attention, while neglecting a voice that conveys their true personality and allows them to live their life without interruption.

This article made me consider our discussion of voice and the ways that we change ourselves to appeal to other people. When we craft a new voice, are we ignoring our true selves? Are we placing our real lives on hold just to get social points and social media likes? I definitely think there is a danger in creating a completely new voice for your social media self, but I don’t think that we’re all in doomed to lose ourselves if we attempt to appear a bit more professional online. The danger for me comes when I focus less on crafting a voice that is a professional version of myself, and more on gaining likes, followers, and favorites.

According to the study, social media is killing our capacity for happiness. I don’t think this is completely true, but I bet there is some validity to the conclusion that social media affects our feelings of self-worth. I know that I feel bad when I post something that no one likes or engages with. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I feel awkward and slightly disappointed when my posts go unnoticed. My solution to this problem? I’ve tried to stop caring about likes and social confirmation. This is obviously easier said than done, but I’ve compiled a short list of steps that you can try to avoid becoming a slave to social media self-worth.

1. Focus on your voice: Create a voice that is professional, but don’t lose your true personality. When you create a voice for yourself and focus on keeping that voice consistent, you will become less focused on pleasing your audience and more focused on staying consistent in your social media persona. If you’re spending a lot of time considering what tone will gain you the most likes, you may want to sit down and think about the message you want to send to your audience, not the message you believe they want to hear. Be the professional you, not someone else. To ensure that I’ve kept my voice on a professional account, I usually draft like I would post to my personal account and then edit to something a little more professional. Don’t sacrifice your voice for likes.
2. Do Not Check After You Post: The number one way to ruin your confidence in a post is to check on it every 4 minutes. Yes, you want your business to get noticed on social media. You want your ideas to be spread and confirmed, but if your post fails, what’s the big deal? You can post something better later. Don’t stress over a post by logging onto Facebook 20 times throughout the day to check how well your post did. Put the phone down and get back to more important work.
3. Don’t Post Excessively: If you find yourself posting to a professional account many times in one day, it’s possible that you’re posting too much. Of course, some jobs call for multiple posts in one day, but most do not. When you post many times in one day, it’s likely that the quality of your posts is steadily decreasing. You probably don’t have that much important information to share. And when you think about engagements, its simple math that the potential for failed engagements increases as you post. Limiting your posts (if possible) will limit your daily reliance on social media self-worth.

My intention with this post was not to sound negative towards social media. My goal was to highlight the importance of maintaining your voice and focusing on your likes rather than the likes of others. In order to be good professionals, we must realize that social media is just a tool for most of us. For the majority of professionals, one popular post won’t land a promotion and unpopular posts won’t end a career. We should utilize social media, but we should not compromise our lives and personalities for social media popularity.

Sources:

1. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243924
2. http://www.modgility.com/professionalism-in-social-media/ 

Image sources:

1. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243924
2. http://voidlive.com/pulse/wtf/facebook-likes-say/

Business Vibes and Social Media

Most would agree that being withdrawn from the social media world is unheard of. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no blog, and no LinkedIn – Do you even exist? The same could be said of companies and businesses. In a 2014 study conducted by BrightLocal, 79% of consumers said they researched a company in question not only through their website, but through Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, blogs, BBB ratings, etc. Without the ability to create a positive image for your company through these media platforms, the company’s reputation is left up partially to chance and partially to consumer opinion. To add, if it’s an online-only business, it can be difficult to gain customer trust without assistance from the social media platforms. Adding social media to your business plan is one of the smartest things you could do.

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Have a plan before you start & create measurable goals.

There’s no point in using a social media outlet if you don’t measure its effectiveness. A report published by Texas Tech shows that businesses who engage on social media channels have higher customer loyalty than those who do not. Learning about each one of these individual channels is the first step to creating a successful social media plan, and realizing how each one can be put to use in terms of your business goals is the ultimate outcome. You don’t need to be on absolutely EVERY social media platform out there; just the ones that can benefit you the most. In fact, being active on too many platforms can be detrimental, unless you have the manpower to maintain and update all of those platforms everyday. Starting simple is the easiest way to get involved, so a goal such as “gain 45 Twitter followers” is very smart and realistic.

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Be consistent and be a good social citizen. 

But don’t rely on one application of social media! Each outlet has its own strengths and weaknesses, so pinpointing those qualities helps to create a continuous message across all of your platforms. Keep your message on target, stick to your brand, and stay business-focused. If you make a mistake, always apologize for it. Multiple times, and across multiple platforms. If you publish something incorrectly, fix it, but make a note of it. And above all else, make sure you thank your customers for supporting your business!

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Give great content; be engaging.

Use creative techniques to engage your audience. Make it personal, because one size does not fit all! Communicate regularly via each and every platform with your networks. Do NOT spam your social sites with tons of advertisements and blatant marketing techniques-consumers can see right through that. Instead, use the information you’ve learned about your audience to make a connection with them. Find out common interests and post relatable topics to your platforms. For example, if the business is a bakery, post a link to a blog about how to create awesome fondant designs instead of talking about the bakery’s product. Furthermore, programs such as Engagor give brands and businesses the opportunity to interact and engage with more people in real time.

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Listen and interpret.

Persistence can most often be mistaken for pushiness. While it’s important to reach out to consumers, you don’t want to overwhelm them. Instead, try listening to what your network is telling you. In reference to customers, many will tell you, “they don’t know what they want!” – This is partially true. But if you listen closely enough, you can interpret what they’re asking for into something useful for the company/business. This is where research comes into play and where we can see its level of importance. Research allows the business to see where its customers are coming from and what they are asking for. Social media platforms make this about a thousand times easier (ok, not an exact number-but you get the point). If you know what your customers really want, they’ll never be unsatisfied.

The Power of Infographics

What do you do when you need a piece of information quickly? Chances are, you google it. Google knows everything, which can be overwhelming when you are only looking for that “needle-in-the-haystack” tidbit of information. As Mark Smicklas, a seasoned marketing expert, says, “Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” In other words, you are going to get a lot more than you bargained for. But what does all the information mean? This is where infographics excel. They are a great way to present a lot of information in an easily digestible way.

What is an infographic?

According to Wikipedia, an infographic is just a fancy word for the “graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.” Here is an example of an infographic that introduces you basics of infographics:

Why use infographics?

There are a couple reasons why you should consider using infographics before posting a wordy essay online, either on social media or a company website.   First, infographics make it easy for the user to digest information. Our brains can process visuals infinitely faster than they can process text. Not only do they process the information faster, but our brains are also more likely to remember it better. On average, people only remember roughly 20% of the information they read (yikes!). The dwindling attention span of the average Internet user also contributes to the growth of infographics. Now, more than ever before, people don’t have time (or don’t want) to read large amounts of text. Infographics, however, can disperse the important facts or findings in a time-efficient manner.

Second, infographics summarize large amounts of data into applicable statistics. Today we can find whatever data or statistics online with a simple google search, but what does it all mean? With so much data readily available, the challenge for businesses becomes a) how to interpret the information, and b) how to clearly and concisely present it despite its complexities (the latter of which is arguably the bigger challenge).

For example, I could very easily find the average gas price in PA with a quick search (The average is $2.526/gal. in case you were wondering). While that fact is good to know, an infographic might display the average gas price by state using a map where a darker blue state indicates a higher price than a lighter blue state. Suddenly, the viewer realizes that the average price in PA is higher than several of the states it borders. (The average price is $2.152 in New Jersey, $2.360 in MD, and $2.29 inOH!)

What results can you expect?

A well-designed infographic has the potential to go viral! An aesthetically pleasing yet informative visual appeals to everyone, and with the help of social media platforms can easily be liked, shared, or retweeted. Just imagine how much greater your brand awareness could be if you embedded the logo of your business into an internationally successful infographic. In time, the inforgraphic would drive more traffic to your website which should start generating more revenue, if handled correctly.

How do you create an infographic?

While infographics often look easy and effortless, a lot of planning and critical thinking goes into producing a successful visual. Often the things that look the simplest are the most difficult to create. So, here are some tips and tricks to help you get started making your own infographic.

1. Maintain a good visual-text ratio. You don’t want the graphic elements to overshadow the text, and you don’t want the text to overshadow the graphic elements. The images and words should complement each other.

2. K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid. Don’t try to cram every statistics and graph into one infographic. If there are too many elements, you will overwhelm the reader. Don’t be afraid to leave a little blank space! (You don’t want your infographic to end up looking like this…)

3. Keep the infographic focused. A good way to keep the visual clean and simple is to only use data or images that help convey the story. This would be like writing a paper that is half a page too short so you add some partially-related “fluff.” Infographics do not have a length requirement so you can leave the fluff out.

4. Cite your sources! Even though an infographic is not a formal way of writing, don’t forget to give credit where credit is due.

You can also try using statsilk.com or visual.ly to help you get started!

In a nutshell, infographics are a great tool to concisely represent complex information. And while they may look easy and simple, it takes someone with superb analytical skills to extract meaningful trends, and someone with a keen eye for design to format them. If done correctly, however, infographics have the potential to take your business to the next level.

Good luck and happy infographic-ing!

Sources:
https://www.customermagnetism.com/infographics/what-is-an-infographic/
http://piktochart.com/use-infographics-for-branding/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2013/08/02/use-infographics-to-boost-your-credibility-and-traffic/
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/12-infographic-tips/

The Power of Infographics from Mark Smiciklas

6 Ways to Get More Followers on Pinterest

I love Pinterest. But I use it very egocentrically. As I scan through pins of chicken recipes, ombre hairstyles and cats in weird situations, I never try to interact with other people. I regularly update my 8 boards, each with dozens of pins, but I have 5 followers. (I know that is embarrassing)

This is NOT the best way to use a social media platform.

http://www.funnymemes.com/cat-memes-im-overall-this/

I want my Pinterest experience to be more engaging, so I decided to do some research on how to gain followers.

According to Post Planner and Social Media Examiner there are a few tips you can use to get followers:

1. Create original content

With 80% of posts on Pinterest being repins, adding your own content adds to the social media platform and gets you noticed. Until recently, I have never added my own content. My experience on Pinterest consisted of searching topics and pinning whatever stroked my fancy at the moment. But, adding original content is easy. The gray plus sign at the bottom right corner allows users to upload a personal photo or find a website to create a pin. Posts that do best on Pinterest include infographics.

2. Repin!

After you add your own content, appreciate others’ pins. Pinning other people’s content is a large part of the Pinterest world. By sharing their content, a user is more likely to follow you. Also, it is important to comment on each pin using key words about the pin with a unique way it relates to your own life.

3. Follow other Pinners

Don’t sit around and wait for people to notice you! Search for people with similar interests or people that follow you on a different social media platforms. They might follow you in return.

4. Use keywords in your descriptions

As I stated before, writing descriptions is important. Make your pins searchable with terms that accurately describe your pin. Think about what users would type into Google to find your pin. Use those keywords together. For example, if you pin twinkle lights, write “dorm room twinkle lights” instead of “twinkle lights for your dorm room” in the comment section. Pinterest also uses keywords from the domain name of the pin when you search. If you search “cats” a pin will come up if the website is www.crazycats.com. Making your pins easier to find means it more likely people will follow you.

http://www.mcngmarketing.com/4-pinterest-tips-to-make-your-pins-more-searchable-on-pinterest/#.VRmiMTvF9XY

5. Comment on popular pins

Caring about other people’s content leaves an impression. Write thoughtful and relevant comments on a popular pin.

6. Mention people

Similarly to Twitter and Facebook, you can mention people in a pin. If you know the original source of the pin, tag them! This pulls in attention and can lead to more followers

Pinterest is a great place to build a community around common interests, but you have to be willing to seek out that community. The bottom line is that extra effort is needed. Repinning and waiting for other pinners to follow you is unrealistic. Whether you have 5 or 500 followers, these tips should help you gain more!

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-get-more-pinterest-followers/

http://www.postplanner.com/how-to-get-more-pinterest-followers/