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Job Hunting: Social Media Style

Podcast
Job Hunting, Social Media Style

Dance Group – Kasey Parker, Rachel Martin, Lisa Watkins and Kimbra Craddock
Intro – We are Public Relations seniors at Oklahoma State University. Today we are talking about how we use/used social media during job hunting.
Facebook –
· According to a new study conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 45 percent of employers questioned are using social networks to screen job candidates — more than double from a year earlier.
· The study, which questioned 2,667 managers and human resource workers, found that 35 percent of employers decided not to offer a job to a candidate based on the content uncovered on a social networking site.
· The report showed that Facebook was the most popular online destination for employers to do their online investigating, followed by LinkedIn and MySpace. In addition, 7 percent followed job candidates on Twitter.
· More than half of the employers who participated in the survey said that provocative photos were the biggest factor contributing to a decision not to hire a potential employee, while 44 percent of employers pinpointed references to drinking and drug use as red flags. Other warning signs included bad-mouthing of previous employers and colleagues and poor online communication skills.
· You absolutely can use Facebook to leverage yourself in the company.  Go ahead and  “friend” your boss and many coworkers, and intentionally post things that will make them think highly of you. You can post industry related material with great commentaries or very positive things (“Great day today!  Big project at work is going along well and I cannot wait to see the results of it!”).   Use it to your advantage!
Twitter –
· 55 million tweets per day – O’Reilly Radar by Ben Lorica
· 600 million searched topics per day – O’Reilly Radar by Ben Lorica
· The “Value of Social Media Report” that was released by Econsultancy and the Online Marketing Summit, found that 69% of companies focus on twitter as their main form of social media.
· 5 tips to getting a job through twitter – go to tweetups, provide advice for free, connect with connectors, make it known you are looking for work and offer to help – Twitip – Jade Craven
Blogs –
· Blogging is a great way to create your online presence; they allow you to speak honestly and openly with your readers.
· Blogging, whether it’s about your personal life, to share interests and hobbies or about their businesses, is a great way to enhance communication and culture in a corporation.
· The actual creation of a blog involves specific, marketable skills that look very impressive to potential employers. They offer real world training in Web-development language, graphic design and a digital display of your writing talent.
· Blogs can also help you manage your online reputation but you must be careful because your online presence is something you want to keep nice and neat.
· If your new to blogging, blogger and word press are really easy blog hosts for new users and guess what they are free.
LinkedIn –
•       LinkedIn in a very important tool that you can use in your job search. •       Linkedin is a popular social networking website that is designed for users to build business contacts to benefit their business or for people seeking  employment to find the right job for them. It is free to join and easy to use. •       You can upload your resume, write and receive recommendations from teachers, classmates and employers, send direct messages to professionals and research companies that you may be interested in working at. •       Many professionals in the communications industries are on LinkedIn, as well as almost every other industry type.  I have been able to connect with pros that I met at student conferences, career fairs and on club field trips. •       LinkedIn is just another way to get your name and resume out to professionals to start building relationships with them.
Outro – The 10 commandments of social media usage
1 –Add value first, and sell LAST
2 –listen twice as much as you talk
3 – Do not spam all your contacts
4 – Do not act like a stuck up jerk
5 – Do not steal all your friends contacts
6 – Do personalize every invitation you make to join any network
7 – Do remember that 10 can be more powerful than 10000
8 – Do not beg (for anything)
9 – Do be authentic and transparent in all you do
10 – Do not forget the power of face to face conversation