Blogging4Jobs

Twitter chats have changed the way people come together and talk about different topics. I remember back in the day when I would sign onto AOL and find a chat room that fit whatever I wanted to talk about. No longer do I have to go to a chatroom, because everything is available to me on Twitter. I personally use the website TweetChat.com because it’s very simple. It allows me to control chat speed, refresh times, and also has smart pausing when I scroll and check out what was said earlier in the conversation. I mainly participate in two different twitter chats, #genychat and #jobhuntchat.

Every week #genychat brings students, young professionals, and others together to talk about relevant topics to generation y. Don’t know what Generation Y is? Take a look at A Brief History of Generation Y.  Conversations have ranged from the catch 22, dealing with needing experience to get experience, to the American Dream. Every Wednesday at 9pm EST you have a diverse group of people brought together to talk about the legacy of their generation.

This week I have the pleasure of co-hosting this hour-long chat with @WriterChanelle. The topic I chose was influenced by local politics. Oklahoma is currently in its election year for the next state governor. I asked around to see what people thought about different candidates and I found out that a large percentage of my friends don’t like sharing their political preference. This was very bizarre to me. You always here never talk about politics, sex, or religion at the dinner table, but why is that? Maybe I was raised to be a little more open-minded about such topics and don’t mind discussing them freely. Politics to me is just an opinion. You support a candidate or you don’t. Why is that so hard to talk about? We will be discussing this subject as well as matters of privacy as it relates to politics and maybe we’ll venture off onto the hot topic of privacy in social media. You will have to tune in to find out and I assure you, it will be a great discussion!

The other chat I participate in is #jobhuntchat. wthashtag.com defines #jobhuntchat as “Twitters best, and only chat for the job search. A diverse group made up of job seekers, recruiters, HR professionals, resume writers, career experts and coaches, bloggers, college students, and other tweeps join in for the chat to bring the best direct FREE job search advice you can find. “ Although I have currently found a job, it’s always a learning experience to hear HR professionals and people just like me sharing stories and tips on how to find a job.

The moderators of #jobhuntchat are @Blogging4Jobs and @CornOnTheJob. This chat offers different questions each week where people freely share advice and horror stories as it relates to the job-hunt experience. If you are looking for a job or want to learn different tips and tricks in the job-hunting world, visit this chat every Monday night at 10pm EST.  Last week the chat collected over 1,100 tweets in under one hour!

I would be delighted to have everyone join me for this weeks #genychat, Wednesday at 9pm EST, where we will be discussing politics, privacy, and generation y.  In the meantime check out this YouTube video with Dave Chappel on politics and sharing who you voted for. Don’t forget to follow @GenYChat on Twitter!

Photo Courtesy of @GenYChat & @WriterChanelle

Blake McCammon, is an intern at Xceptional HR. Connect with Blake on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.  Blake is a recent grad of Northeastern State University with a degree in Business Administration.  During school he created and managed his university’s social media strategy.

My co-presenter Robert Capwell of EDI and I led two sessions at the NAHCR conference.  NAHCR is a recruiting and healthcare association, and both of us were fortunate enough to work together and discuss how social sourcing can be used for both social media good and evil.  It was a great session and I was lucky to have a two notable social media HR professionals and friends in the room during our session–China Gorman & Carrie Corbin.

Many of the attendees to our session asked for both the powerpoint presentation as well as the Facebook Fan Page Guide I mentioned during the session which I have linked to this post for those who made it to the conference or didn’t.  Either way, take a look at our presentation, enjoy the white paper, and be sure to check out the video of my half of the presentation.  And thanks again to NAHCR for allowing me the opportunity to present at an exciting conference.

And if you like the powerpoint, be sure to check out my the recorded video of my session.  Get ready, its over 30 minutes long, but it will be almost like you were at the conference tuning in.

Social Media Secrets–Tips,Ttricks and Pitfalls from Jessica Miller-Merrell on Vimeo.

Photo Credit Impact Lab.

Are you on Facebook?  Millions of people (over 300 million) use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Your friends are here.  Your family is here (I’m connected with everyone from high school classmates to cousins to grandma).  And guess what?  Employers are here now, too.  Did that give you a sick feeling in your stomach?  What if your boss knew what was posted on Facebook?  Would it matter?  These are all questions that I hear everyday.  The one thing that everyone should know is: NOTHING is private on the web.  NOTHING.  It doesn’t matter if your status is set to “private” or if you’ve locked out certain people.  If a person is resourceful enough, they can find it.

So with that in mind, here are a few tips to help make Facebook your friend rather than your foe:

Keep it clean. We all have fun.  Some of us have even documented that fun (legal or not) with pictures.  You just don’t have to post it on Facebook.  Keep the pictures if you need to reminisce about the good ‘ol days.  But, would you want mom, grandma, church pastor, or your boss seeing your beer-bong contest pictures?  Probably not.

Be authentic. Your personal brand is something that can really shine through in social media.  Be consistent and authentic.  Your true personality will come out after a little time.  There’s no sense in hiding it.  Use it to your advantage.

Connect and reconnect. Facebook is a great place to learn more about the people you know or even people you want to know.  While LinkedIn is still utilized for more professional use, Facebook provides a personal side to the equation.  There are recruiters on Facebook – I would caution you to keep interactions professional.  They could care less about your Farmville, Mafia Wars, or Sorority Life gaming online.

Like it. What was recently known as “become a fan” has changed to provide a more open forum of interaction.  You can now “like” something on Facebook.  This goes for all sorts of things from a certain company (great way to learn about culture, even jobs) to trivial things such as Mexican food or sandwiches.  As Joey Tribbiani said on Friends, “who doesn’t like sandwiches?” 

Integrate with other platforms. If you’re a Twitter user (see earlier post: Tackling Twitter), you can now update your status there at the same time as your Facebook status.  If you’re a jobseeker, use this opportunity to update regularly with things that you’re working on, types of jobs you’re seeking, and snippets of the experience you bring to the table.  You never know who will be looking!

Facebook can be a great platform for personal branding, reconnecting with friends and family and prove to be a positive resource for jobseekers.  Just remember to be yourself, keep it clean, and have a little fun.  Make Facebook work for you, not against you.

Kirk Baumann is a blogger and contestant for the Job Search Blogger Contest.  Vote for Kirk by leaving a comment until May 11th.

Just this last weekend I visited my hometown of Google, Kansas (AKA, Topeka).  I caught up with family and friends while squeezing some time in for a little business.  Throughout our whirlwind weekend, we drove from place to place, and I made sure to check into Four Square and Gowalla every chance I could. Why? Because just like any social networking site, it’s about sharing and being present where-ever and whenever you are.

The term geolocation refers to an application that allows the user to broadcast their location using the internet.  These apps are available on mobile devices like your blackberry, android, iphone, and even the world wide web.  Registered users log into an application like Four Square and check into their  physical location, event, or venue while broadcasting their check-in to their friends, social media networks, and those on the internet.

Another feature similar to geolocation now available on the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter is called geotagging.  Geotagging allows Twitter users the option to share their location to their followers, search engines, and other third party tools that work alongside Twitter.  As social media and sites like Twitter and FaceBook have served as conduits to link users with one another across the global, geo brings the focus back to your local and present community.  Users of all three of these tools have access to local and real time trends, information, and people whether you are a long time resident or just passing through.

But why personal branding?

Geo tools present an new and exciting way for users to network, develop relationships, engage a customer base, and build a brand within a niche community or ecosystem.  Building a brand reputation, recognition, or relationship takes time and touches.  Customers want to do business with a brand who is recognizable and has a solid reputation built on recommendations from trusted sources like friends and family.  And with your personal brand, geolocation and tagging tools are another new facet of the marketing and branding package that sets you apart from the rest.

Blogging, Twitter, and FaceBook–Everybody’s doing it.

Imagine that you frequent a number of local businesses near your home or work and you happen to be the mayor of two nearby coffee shops, PT’s Coffee (locally owned) and Starbucks (global chain).   As mayor of both these locations, your profile picture and name are viewable to everyone who checks into the location as well as your network.  Tools like these increase your exposure and number of touches among potential companies, clients, employers, or even website visitors.  As you check in, you are sending a subtle but targeted reminder of your name or brand.  And because customers of coffee shops like Starbucks’s average household income is in excess of $80,00 and are 42 years old, it is safe to assume that many target customers work in high level and decision maker type positions or are influential and connected within the community.  Surely the kind of people you are interested in being connected with and getting top know, right?

As geolocation tools like Four Square become more mainstream with more than 500k registered users in March 2010, it’s a safe bet that a geo presence will only benefit your personal brand by increasing your brand recognition, strengthen relationships and quite possibly drive traffic to your website and your other social profiles.

Photo Credit Same Forzley.

My co-moderators and I, @cornonthejob & @mscareergirl have hosted our own Twitter chat successfully for the last month and a half, called #JobHuntChat. For those of you that don’t know, Job Hunt Chat is a Twitter chat held every Monday night at 10 PM EST.  Using Twitter we aim to answer 4 job search questions sent from our audience during the course of an hour while also allowing time for participants to network with one another.  Our participants include experts (resume writers, career coaches, human resource professionals, and recruiters) as well as job seekers from all across the world.

It’s been fun, but as I have gotten involved more in Twitter chats, I realized there is no one place to learn more about the chats, their times, and topics aside from word of mouth tweeting.  And because of this, I need your help.  I need your submissions.  If you host a twitter chat or know of one, please send me an email with the subject line “Twitter Chat” to jessica@xceptionalhr.com.  Please include the name of the chat, time (EST time please), the names of the moderators, and a little about the chat.  I will put together a directory of the chats made available for everyone in the coming week.

Last year I put together the HR Blogger Directory providing some structure and organization to the fantastic HR Social Media Community you may or may not know about.  I hope to do the same with the Twitter Chat Directory.  Look for a post forthcoming once I gather all the chat information.

Photo Credit Tricky System.

This YouTube video by my friend, @animal about how to get popular on Twitter has some very good points, but the best point of all is painfully obvious.  You have to original in order to stand out.  Recruiting Animal is well-known in the recruiting industry because of his brash sense of humor.  He is quick to provide extremely honest feedback even if it hurts. People in the industry have come to expect and respect  the Recruiting Animal.

The video begs the question–what’ s your online differentiation strategy?  Is it working?

Photo Credit Kamran Web.

Being in the job search is tough and as a job seeker you are not alone especially with the more than 15 million who are out of work and in the job hunt.  People don’t prepare for the job search although they should at least six months in advance.  This provides you opportunity to grow and build your network using  both traditional (face to face networking) and non-traditional methods (social media networking).

One non-traditional networking tool is Twitter.  Think of Twitter as a virtual cocktail party with more than 27 million people in attendance.  Like any traditional cocktail party or networking event, there are conversations (known as your twitter stream) that happen all around you.  Twitter is no different.  Because your purposes for Twitter are primarily business based, it is extremely important to selectively join and be present for key conversations among decision makers or influencers in the industry in which you are looking for work or in your community.

• Follow People. Following others and retweeting or reposting their tweets is a great way to begin to build a relationship.  Use Twitter directories which are essentially online yellow pages to search for influencers in your target industry, location, or by key word like Twellow, and We Follow.  Here are 15 more great Twitter directory sites courtesy of Mashable.

• SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Be found by making sure to include key words that are searched by recruiters and hiring managers in your Twitter bio.  Consider words including industry specific software programs, certifications, and words that are repeatedly listed in job board advertisements.  Recruiters use key words within your tweets and your bio to find you.  Make it easy to be found including key words and a link to your blog or profile.

• Hash Tags (#). Hash tags are used in Twitter as a way to sort and search by topic.  Some common hash tags for job seekers including #jobs, #jobhuntchat, #jobsearch #jobadvice.  Using your iGoogle account set up an RSS feed of common key words and hash tags in Twitter Search.  Setting up your RSS feed is a great time saving tip.

• Find Recruiters. I almost always suggest that job seekers take an aggressive approach to their job search.  Just as recruiters source and search for you, job seekers can seek out and connect with recruiters, human resource professionals, or hiring managers using social media search tools.  Twitter directories are a great start, however there are more advanced tools like Follower Wonk and Twitter Search.  Both these offer advanced search options allowing you to search by key word and zip code.  Follow Wonk provides advanced bio search options.

• Building Relationships. Chris Brogan provided a crude yet effective example of social media networking and how to build relationships.  He likened engaging someone and asking them for a sale, to buy their product, or a job to sticking your tongue down someone’s throat just after meeting them.  Basically, don’t ask for the sale until you have an established relationship.  Social media can be very surface and the relationship is the glue that holds your reputation and relationships together.

To learn more about Twitter for the job search and business, you can take a look at my book, Tweet This!  Twitter for Business. E-book and softcover versions are availale.

Photo Credit IbTimes.

I would like to begin by thanking my lucky stars that, in this economy, I have had the good fortune of being gainfully employed for the past two years since graduating college. But, as I start a new chapter in my life, one that I hope turns out to be about a fabulous new career in a wonderful new city, I can’t help but compare my job search today with that of two years ago. So much has changed in so little time, so I want to pass along the little bit of knowledge I’ve gained over the past few months of job searching. I hope this advice resonates with those of you who are looking for employment for the first time in years and may be feeling a little lost.

1. Social Media Isn’t Just For College Kids Anymore

If you hadn’t heard, social media is all the rage now. (By the way, if you really hadn’t heard, you may want to climb out from under that rock and join us all in 2010.) There are so many choices for social media, but the three most common sites for those looking to network during a job search are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

If you don’t have a profile/account on these sites, I really recommend you check them out. Click on the respective logos below for some great tips from some folks with much more expertise (Mashable, Forbes, and ICT-Guru) on how to use these sites effectively to make professional contacts.

2. “To Whom It May Concern” is the Kiss of Death

Remember the good ol’ days when you mailed your resume and cover letter in, via snail mail? Ok, to be fair, I don’t even remember that, but I heard it happened. What I do remember is actually getting my current job two years ago by, *gasp*, faxing my cover letter and resume to a complete stranger. Unfortunately, gone are the days when just anyone has a shot. It seems that if you want to even be considered for a job, you must know someone. To get an interview with a company to which you have zero personal connections is nearly unheard of.

So what does this mean? You have to make personal connections with people.  Join a local networking group. Make meaningful contacts online via social media. Do whatever it is you need to do to build your personal and professional network because someday soon you will need them to help you get your foot in the door somewhere.

3. What’s So Special About You?

Ok, back to the economy. We all know it’s in shambles and that unemployment is higher than it’s been in years, but there are jobs out there! The competition is tougher, but they exist. So what are you going to do to stand out of the hundreds, or dare I say thousands, of applicants vying for your dream job? You are unique and offer your very own perspective to whatever position you apply for, so come up with a plan. Not a cheesy gimmick, but something that will make yourself known and illustrate your tremendous value to a future employer: whatever it takes to get noticed as the competent professional you are. Avoid becoming a wallflower in your job search!

I’m not an expert on finding a job, but I am a careful observer of all things job search related because I am in the throes of my very own job hunt. I hope some of these tips help for now, because in another two years, this advice will be moot and we will all be looking for some more sage advice!

Photo Credit

Ashley Campbell is an association professional whose organization supports women in business. She has a healthy obsession with social media for its unyielding ability to create amazing connections and opportunities for people and hopes to someday move from the Midwest to NYC to pursue a career in the non-profit arena. To learn more about Ashley and connect with her, visit her blog, Entry Level Observations, which highlights the unique experiences of Gen Y professionals.  Don’t forget her Twitter & LinkedIn.

Time management is something that most of us struggled with long before social media.  As we become more involved in the world of social media and the see the importance of building personal business relationships, managing your time both inside the social media space and outside as a business professional and human being becomes ever more important.

Once a month I host a free teleseminar where I discuss a topic related to social media.  This month, I discussed “How to Manage Your Social Media in 30 Min. a Day.”  A very important topic for those of us who have too much to do and not enough time to do it.  The session went extremely well.  If you are interested in listening to the playback of the entire session, you are free to call (712) 432-1085.

Please note that all these tools with the exception of a special feature within SocialOomph which I have noted, are all free of charge.  While there are millions of social media management tools out there and will continue to be, here are 6 social media time management tools that have my attention.

1. Tweetdeck. This is my favorite third party application.  I can now see Youtube videos, Flickr, in additon to viewing my FaceBook and Twitter accounts.   I spend a great deal of time categorizing those that I am following so that I do not miss a tweet from my closest friends while also staying up to date on local happenings.  My Tweetdeck is divided into columns including HR Peeps, Oklahoma, and hash tags that #HRHappyHour or #TRULondon.  I can stay up to date on events very quickly engaging others in real time.
2. Ping.fm. An old favorite.  This allows me to ping multiple social media accounts and transmit the same data or message.  I also have the ability to control which accounts I wish my message to be sent to.  Seesmic just recently purchased Ping and I’m eager with anticipation to see how this acquisition will improve both applications.
3. SocialOomph. SocialOomph was formerly TweetLater.  I am able to schedule messages on both Twitter and FaceBook Fan pages allowing me to target my message to a specific audience while saving time and stress.  This is especially handy when I am promoting an event or making an announcement.  The Twitter scheduling feature is free while the FaceBook scheduling costs $29.95 a month and might be a wise investment for someone who is time conscious.  Another fantastic new option is an Opt-Out Auto DM feature.  You can log on to SocialOomph and opt out of spammy auto DMs like a Do Not Call List for Twitter Spam.  (I like it!)
4. Gist. This is a new tool I’ve been playing with.  It’s currently in beta and seeks to intergrate and upload all your contacts to one location from Salesforce, Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, and your email.  I’m excited to dive into this tool and give it a thorough test drive.
5. Tungle. My friend, Chris Hoyt turned me on to this new tool that allows my friends to view my calendar and schedule meetings.  I control the settings and who can view my calendar.  It uploads your Outlook contacts and auto updates from Outlook to Tungle as well. So, Tungle me and let’s connect!
6. NutshellMail. Once again another tool that I am just experimenting with.  This allows you to receive one email updating you on multiple social media accounts–FaceBook and Twitter saving you the time and stress of clogging up your email box.  I see this as a good tool for someone who wants to stay connected but isn’t a power user.

Photo Credit The Studio Blog.

Twitter was a service originally created for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? It was originally developed for use with SMS text messaging. Twitter users post tweets––posts written in 140 characters or fewer.

Think of Twitter as a virtual cocktail party. It is a place where people come to get to know each other and stay connected and up-to-date on the latest news and information. I use Twitter to promote my blog posts, upcoming seminars, and articles I have written. I also use it to develop new relationships and follow those within my industry or others that interest me.

Here are some common uses for Twitter:

• Twitter users stay connected with friends and family members.

• Businesses use Twitter as a customer service platform for public relations, brand management, and as a marketing tool.

• Job seekers use Twitter to find unadvertised jobs.

• Business professionals and recruiters use Twitter to find leads and candidates.

• Some use Twitter as a source of breaking news and information.

Picture yourself driving on the highway as you make your way on your morning commute. As you weave in and out of traffic, a billboard sign grabs your attention. The Hard Rock Café is coming to your town. You make a mental note to yourself to visit the Hard Rock Café Web site when you arrive at work. Later that morning, you visit the site and casually mention it to several of your co-workers. Word quickly spreads throughout your office and circle of friends, and by the end of the day, the new Hard Rock Café is the talk of the town.   Twitter is like word of mouth marketing on steroids among the more than 27 million users.  Whether representing a business or as an individual, jump in and join the conversation.

Photo Credit Twitter
This article was my first featured syndicated column for Edmond Active Magazine.  The magazine is published monthly.  Thank you for the opportunity, Sherri and Chris.

Door-to-door salesmen, junk mail, telemarketers, urgent recorded phone messages, and Viagra emails.

Utter just one of these words to a family member or friend and chances are they will elicit words of anger, frustration, and just flat out negativity. Automatic DM’s are no different. There has been a great debate on Twitter ever since the auto-DM (automatic Direct Message) was first utilized.

An automatic direct message is a canned response that a Twitter user can program using a third party Twitter application like Social Oomph and others to send automatically upon receiving a follow request by another Twitter user. Twitter users are able to send someone a private or direct message once a user selects to follow that person.

FACT–an automatic direct message used on Twitter is essentially a form of spam. Users of the auto-DM are often categorized as affiliate marketers, spammers, or just lazy people who seek an easier and less cumbersome method of communication and relationship building.

FACT–the negative connotation associated with receiving an auto-DM is so strong that many Twitter users will automatically unfollow someone upon receiving.

FACT–It is important to consider how you want your brand and image to be received by someone who is a potential client, customer, or business partner. We call things like this Branding and there are consultants and business people who are part of a billion dollar branding business.

Feelings and opinions among the Twitter community are so strong on this topic that a website, Stop Auto DM has been created as a way to educate users on the brand perils of using the auto DM while requesting that Twitter remove this feature altogether. The site which provides a short dialogue about the auto DM sends a clear message to web surfers who visit. Personally, the sheer number of automatic direct messages I receive clog my DM in box and has kept me from missing my share of important direct messages from friends and followers with whom I have actual real and engaging conversations. In fact, some go so far as to refer to these modern day door-to-door encyclopedia salesman as the social media douchebag. Unfortunately, unsuspecting housewives and twitter newbs have fallen prey on more than a few occasions buying what these folks are selling.

While I don’t all hate auto dms because I am a believer that in certain situations these messages have their place, here are some suggestions:

• Use Auto DMs creatively. If you are making the decision to utilize an auto dm as a form of marketing or promotion, I encourage you to be creative and original with your methods. Asking me to friend you on FaceBook or visit your website are not enough. Consider adding a link to an interesting video or something original and professional or at least funny.

• Choose your words carefully. The absolute best auto DM I have ever received is displayed here. Upon receiving this message I immediately responded back to this account and have not received a response back and it’s been almost 2 weeks. Hint–If you are going to send regular auto DM’s, make sure to check your own in-box from time to time, people might be interested enough in having more than a one way conversation.

  

• Consider removing your Auto DM altogether. There are some great tools to create groups within your Twitter followers allowing you to send one group a message much like you would within a FaceBook Fan page called Go Twitr. This is a good option for Twitter users who are geographically based or are representing some type of professional organization or group.

• Engage your audience. Here’s an unorthodox suggestion, try engaging your audience for a change. Social media is more than telling it’s about interacting and listening. If you dominate the conversation at a cocktail party or networking event, your audience feels uncomfortable, cheated, and opportunities to build relationships are lost. Social media is no different.

In my opinion, an auto DM is like running with scissors. Keep doing it and you’re bound to get hurt. You need to make the decision if it’s worth the risk.

Photo Credit JasonorMark

Dear OKDOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation),

I read recently in the Oklahoman about your use of Twitter as a way to update Oklahoman travelers about construction, heavy traffic, and weather conditions.  Twitter is a fantastic way for you to connect with drivers and travelers whether its during our daily commute to work or if someone is just passing through.  For the last year and a half, the Oklahoma social media community has used Twitter as a way to inform other users who reside within the state of construction, icy roads, and backed up traffic.  You may remember that during the ice storms last year, we used the hash tag, #okcice as a way to categorize our tweets for Oklahoma Twitter users who wanted to stay abreast on the latest weather conditions.  And this last year during the Oklahoma Fires we also used the hash tag in our tweets, #okfires.  It was because of tweets from my fellow Oklahomans that I was made aware of highway closings on I-35 because of the fire as me, my husband, and our infant daughter made our way north to visit my family in Kansas.

You may not realize but I myself am a social media consultant and have an upcoming book on how businesses can leverage Twitter.  Beginning in January 2010, people can purchase my book for under $20 which is well under the $7,500 you were reported to have spent.  However, I thought I would provide you and others with some direction and guidance (free of charge) on how you can grow and improve your Twitter Communication and Marketing Plan.

• Join the Conversation. Simply put.  Social Media communication should not be a one way dialogue.  You need to engage the Oklahoma Social Media community which as last estimated by Oklahoma native and technologist Matt Galloway in April 2009 was estimated to be at least 1 of every 100 Oklahomans.  This means posing questions, responding to the comments, listening to others, and being an active member of the Twitterverse.
• Beyond 140 Characters. There are times that communication needs to go beyond 140 characters.  I recommend leading your social media followers to a website or blog to provide your readership with more in-depth information about road closings, contact phone numbers, and emergency preparedness information.  This might include a twitpic of some traffic or insight on how potholes are repaired.
• Have a consistent voice. I am disappointed with your comment in the Oklahoman about how you will not have one person manage your account.  In order to build rapport with the social media community, develop relationships, and for consistency purposes your tweets should have the same style and flow.  This allows us to get to know you better, and there are a number of social media strategists including myself that can help you do this for much less than the $7,500 you spent analyze your Twitter usage.  I don’t recommend hiring an intern at least initially.  Because social media should be such an important part of your business plan, it is best left to a seasoned expert internally or externally.
• Reciprocity. Twitter is more than just joining the conversation.  You must follow others.  At current count you are only following 75 Twitter accounts while more than 500 are following you.  People like to be acknowledged and recognized.  Failing to follow people is like not giving every one in third grade class a Valentine on February 14th and people don’t like that.  Follow people back.
• Grow Your Following. Just imagine if you did just these four things.  I believe that your social media following and influence would grow from just above 500 followers to 3,000 in under two weeks and no article in the Oklahoman required.  It appears that you were already impressed by the 500 followers you gained since the Red River Rivalry.  Imagine how 3,000 would feel.

I truly hope that you and others take the advice I have given at face value.  Twitter is a fantastic tool that if done correctly can drastically reduce your advertising expenses while uping your cool factor and growing your brand virally.  Please give it some thought and feel free to call me at anytime.

Kind Regards,

Jessica Miller-Merrell

@blogging4jobs

With the nearly 95 million people on Facebook and 28 million on Twitter in the U.S. alone, social media is a force to be reckoned with.  And yet still businesses fail to effectively leverage social media which is a low cost way to build consumer relations, develop an employment brand, recruiting, and market their business.  Those of of us that are members of the New Media Evolution understand the importance of embracing the Web 2.0 world, but the question remains, how do we educate and persuade fellow  professionals, family members, and our own business leaders?

Early adapters have voluntarily chosen to be drafted in this Social Media battlefield.  Those of us that have embraced this new technology and use it as a tool either personally or for their business.  The social media landscape has forever changed my life and in a positive way.  I have met, learned from, and developed relationships from professionals across industries while being exposed to real-time news and information straight from the experts who are fighting fires everyday.

Although most of us have never intended to, we are fighting to educate the have nots into being present and active in this new way of thinking.  Chances are if you are an HR professional or recruiter like me, you have contemplated just how to get your company or business on board and knee deep into the world of social media.  If you are also like me chances are you have also had hundreds of conversations with other professionals, friends, and even family members with regard to social media.

Typically, my conversations with professionals go something like this:

Me:  “Social media is a great tool to engage candidates both active and passive.  I’ve made a number of hires because of Facebook alone. “

Have Not:  “Isn’t that discriminatory?  I just don’t get it.  My IT department says that sites like Tweeter and Facebook are unsecure.  Plus, I just don’t have the time.”

Me:  “There are more than twice as many cell phones as there are personal computers.  People are communicating through text and social media as a way to conduct business and build relationships.  Businesses use social media a variety of ways.  I know of a jewelry store who made a $8,000 sale because of Twitter and a local restaurant who sold out of their daily special in under 45 minutes from a tweet. ”

And when it comes to my family, particularly my mom, it goes something like this:

My Mom:  “Your sister said she knew you were at dinner because of Facebook.  Under no circumstances should be writing these things there.  People can break into your house.  What about your daughter?”

Me:  “Mom, come on.  I’m an adult.  I have a book coming out on how to use Twitter.  Shouldn’t I follow my own advice?”

But what about when it comes to the business or office in which we work?  How can we have success in convincing the decision makers who happen to be one of the Have Nots?  When working with clients or even past employers, I have had success when doing the following:

• Offer to assist. Although the HR or recruiting team at your company might not be using social media, chances are your marketing or PR department is.  Schedule to meet and understand their social media strategy and build from there.  Chances are if the marketing department or competitor has had a great success is using Web 2.0, it will be easier to convince your boss that this is an option to grow your business.
• Draft a social media policy. By creating and defining the rules surrounding how your business or department intends on using social media, everyone will rest easier.  It seems like the news these days is filled with social media misuse by celebrities, athletes, and businesses.
• Speak their language. Enough of the tech speak and baby talk.  Use words and phrases that are appropriate for your audience.  Words like TweetDeck, API, Mashable, and Twubs are confusing.  Qualify your audience and take time to provide some background and general information.  Most Director level folks don’t want to hear the tech talk.  They want answers.
• Plan thoroughly and carefully. When speaking with someone either within your organization or one you represent, it’s important to plan your key points, facts, and figures.  Remember that every person learns and understands things differently so plan visual and tactical aids into your presentation or conversation.
• Talk ROI. Use case studies and examples to support your strategy.  Use measureable results, numbers, and figures when describing your course of action and the way your strategy could lead to success.  Sites like Twitter Analyzer, Mashable and Quantcast provide a great start to educate yourself on the power of social media.
• Start Small. Although you and I are not new to the Web 2.0 world, these individuals are.  Start small and be prepared.  If trying to create a new employment branding strategy, start with a Facebook Fan page and in 3-6 months after you have measurable success move on to using Twitter or other platform.

Have you all seen that commercial from Verizon? The one where the kids are making fun of their parents for jumping on the Social Media bandwagon with their kewl new phones? I know you have (if not, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14CKzskjn4s).

That is what most of my friends are like as well. Hell, in my [old] office, people didn’t even want to use Instant Messaging programs. I’m not suggesting you hop on every new SocMed website to pop up (I signed up for Plaxo, not really impressed), but you need to branch out and help establish your personal brand. In my case, I was able to get a great new job from it…

Twitter can be used to help get interviews. Simple as that. You obviously cannot approach it the same way you would a typical “job board”, you have to think outside the box. How do a lot of people get hired? They know somebody within a company. Well, Twitter gives you the opportunity to meet people within organizations and build relationships with them. In addition to making new friends, you can share articles (blog or news) and have conversations that help establish your credibility. If you aren’t a social butterfly, you can at the very least get tips on how to accelerate your job search.

Here is my story. A couple weeks ago I came to the realization (I was more or less told this directly) that I was not a candidate for a promotion any time in the foreseeable future. After smoking a few cigarettes, I realized I didn’t even want a promotion – I wanted a fresh start! Becoming a manager at my previous employer meant I would no longer be a recruiter. I would be more of an account manager and have to do 3 hour conference calls and tell people what to do. I’m more hands-on than that. My reqs are my babies – I do the sourcing and calling – I don’t want to just tell people what to do and how to do it without getting my hands dirty!

I decided to call one of the experts in our field for guidance. I reached out to Glen Cathey (you may know him as @BooleanBlackBlt or via his blog, www.booleanblackbelt.com) because we have had a ton of great online conversations in the past and I wanted to finally get a chance to talk to him live. I told him about my background and what I did and didn’t want to do in my future. This early in the conversation, I had no real intention of asking for an interview because I still hadn’t done enough homework on his company, K-Force. After hearing what I had to say, he started to tell me about the career path for recruiters at his organization. I was all ears. We then both decided to start talking about the logistics of an interview in the immediate future. Glen had a Director in New England give me a call during my lunch break and the rest is history (had to do a face-to-face interview, fill out an application, etc.). I was extended an offer the day following my in-person interview and it was the best phone call I had received in years.

What do you know? I got a new job without going to Monster or CareerBuilder once. I didn’t send my resume to 100 different employers. I simply had a great conversation with somebody who felt that I would be an asset to his team. I am thrilled to be a part of K-Force and cannot thank Glen, Paul, and Abby enough for their time and support.

So what does this mean to you? If you are a job seeker and struggling to find a new gig, you really need to cut out the status quo. Recruiters are inundated with resumes (believe me, I know) and job fairs and networking events don’t really work for 99% of the attendees (based on my experience with in-person and virtual career fairs as a recruiter – this is an opinion, not a fact by any means).

Start by first figuring out what you want to do. Don’t just go on Twitter and post status updates saying “HIRE ME!” If you know the industry you want to be a part of, start doing searches for key players in that industry. Also, tweet tons of awesome material (either your own or link to other sites) to get ReTweeted. ReTweets are FREE ADVERTISING! Don’t forget to @reply other people to engage them in a 1-on-1 conversation (or invite them to follow you to Direct Message them).

Okay this has already been said and done on a million other blogs – time for some Fieldsy exclusive content.

I love Instant Messaging. If somebody you don’t know @replies you or ReTweets you, reply back and ask if they have a Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo, or AIM account. Twitter was never meant to be a chat program, and it certainly isn’t a replacement to Facebook, so use them all together. My latest example is with Jeff Moore (@jeffreytmoore), an internal recruiter for Google. Jeff ReTweeted me which obviously showed up in my @mentions column in TweetDeck. I saw that he was a recruiter and seemed really cool judging by his bio and tweets, so I immediately shot him a DM with my email and asked if he had time to GChat. We shared stories about our backgrounds and working in Boston and all that good stuff. I plan on meeting up with him soon since we work a train-ride away.

See? It really is that simple. Now I am obviously not trying to get recruited by Jeff or force-feed referrals down his throat (I know some pretty techy people), but I am looking to meet new people all the time because I love to talk and who knows, these relationships I am building now could lead to future opportunities for me

I’ve been to TweetUps and networking events. I have over 1000 connections on LinkedIn. None of it really did anything for me. Facebook has been AWESOME for looking at pictures of people I never intend to talk to ever again – but that isn’t really doing much for my career. Twitter works. What more proof do you need?

Adam Fields is a recruiter for K-Force and is located in Boston, MA.  Adam is a social media enthusiast and successfully uses social media to connect with candidates and even find his own career opportunities.  You can connect with Adam on twitter @fieldsy4life,  LinkedIn, or FaceBook.

Recruitfest, the official “unconference” Day 1 has officially come to an end. Here are some highlights in my humble opinion.

• Jenny’s DeVaughn’s social media discussion was packed full of great information for beginners and advanced social media users.  She discussed the importance of being genuine while being yourself on sites like FaceBook, Twitter, and MySpace.  Use websites like complete.com, twittergrader.com, twitteranalyzer.com, and hubspot.com to manage your social media ROI.  Jenny recommends that new users to Twitter focus on 10 topics to build your brand, and I wholeheartedly agree.  I was particularly intrigued by Starbucks’ virtual job tryout for company store management positions.  (Look for a blog post with more in depth information soon.)  Be sure to follow Jenny on Twitter @jennydevaughn.

• Julia Stone & Jerry Albright‘s discussion covered a variety of topics from recruiting industries and specialties to requisition forms, and establishing a structure and process when recruiting for both candidates and clients.   Great dialogue between third party recruiters like @Animal and Dave Perry as well as internal corporate recruiters and staffing agencies.  You can follow Jerry on Twitter @Jerry_Albright and Julie @bizwerkerjulia.

• My final discussion was led by Bill Boorman.  He discussed the importance of tactics and talent focusing on candidate relationships regardless of if they result in placements, referrals, or future potential placements.  Bill also discussed the importance of preparing for the changing job market in the next 12-18 months as the economy changes and evolves.  He recommends showing value to your current client base by providing them candidate reporting including the amount of time and work invested whether or not you make a placement.  You can follow Bill on Twitter @billboorman.  Some video of Bill’s discussion is below.  Take a look and leave a comment.

Looking forward to more great discussions with attendees later this evening and tomorrow.