OMG! Check UR Facebook Page B4 Big Interview

August 21st, 2009 • Human Resources, Social Networks, Studies & Research
Tags: CareerBuilder.com, facebook, linkedin, MySpace, social media marketing, twitter

After months of searching for a new job, you’ve finally scored an interview for a position that doesn’t require you to say “Would you like fries with that?” So, when preparing for that interview, you start making a mental checklist: Resume? Check. Interview suit? Check. Removing “Girls Gone Wild” pics from your Facebook page? Uh oh.

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 survey has no margin of sampling error because it was not drawn from a representative nationwide sample but rather from volunteer participants.)

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. The top examples cited include:

• Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 53 percent
• Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs – 44 percent
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients – 35 percent
• Candidate showed poor communication skills – 29 percent
• Candidate made discriminatory comments – 26 percent
• Candidate lied about qualifications – 24 percent
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer – 20 percent

What Women Want from Social Networking Sites

August 18th, 2009 • Behaviors, Studies & Research
Tags: eMarketer, facebook, linkedin, MySpace, ShesConnected, twitter, women and social networking

According to the female-oriented social networking site ShesConnected, women who are core social network users expect a lot, according to “The Power of Social Networking For Women Research Study.” Participants in the survey were recruited through several social networks and were encouraged to share it with friends, as reported by eMarketer.

How to get Social Media Smart

January 19th, 2008 • 3 comments Uncategorized
Tags: facebook, linkedin, qmac, social media marketing, speeches

I just made a presentation to business and marketing students from across Ontario at the Queen’s Marketing Association Conference.

My topic: How to get Social Media Smart. My thesis was simple: You’re into marketing. You want to work in marketing. Social Media Marketing is huge and growing and if you’re not already active in this space you’d better get there fast.

Before I get to my seven tips on How to Get Social Media Smart, a few quick observations…

• While these university students get social media, their experience is largely limited to Facebook, YouTube and reading blogs. Only a couple wrote their own blogs. Most didn’t know much about Twitter or LinkedIn; few used social bookmarking tools or feed readers.
• The exception was one guy who put up his hand for everything — he blogs, he Twitters and Jaikus, he uses feed readers and social bookmarking. If I were hiring for a marketing job, he’s he guy I would want.
• They also told me that Facebook is still gaining in popularity on campus. It’s easy to get stuck in our tech geek bubble where Facebook is, like, so 2007, but it’s worth remembering that Facebook is still, by far, the No. 1 social network in Canada. Marketers who don’t have a Facebook strategy are behind the 8-ball.

That said, I offered them seven tips on How to Get Social Media Smart. Here they are:

1. Join another social network. Facebook isn’t enough. Try LinkedIn or Twitter, or another social network.
2. Read blogs, lots of blogs.
3. Listen to podcasts. My favourites include Marketing over Coffee, For Immediate Release and Six Pixels of Separation. (Come to think of it, I’m probably somewhat indebted to Mitch Joel of Six Pixels for this list; he did a similar list in his New Year’s Show).
4. Join the conversation. Don’t just lurk. Blog, microblog, post comments on blogs, leave comments on podcasts.
5. Use a feed reader. (I use Google Reader.)
6. Use a social bookmarking tool. (I use del.icio.us.)
7. Manage your own online brand. Google yourself. Try to develop a consistent online persona. And remember that everything you post online (even in a closed community like Facebook) can live on forever.