Social Media and Your Job Search

The popularity of various social media tools such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter has increased in recent years and is still a growing and trend. As a result, you can use these tools to your advantage and build your personal brand to attract potential employers. With the numerous social media outlets available, which ones are must-haves in establishing an online presence and networking with these potential employers? Here are four core social media tools everyone should use in their job search.

1. LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an extremely valuable resource for young and seasoned professionals. Not only can you post the contents of your résumé online, but you can network with people in a wide-range of industries. The first step is building your own network. But how do you do that? If you are a current student or recent graduate (or have been working for a while), you can send a request to network with a professors, academic advisors, friends or colleagues from internships or jobs. Once you establish your network base, you can research company profiles on LinkedIn and see if an employee has a LinkedIn friend in common with you (up to a 3rd degree connection). Use your LinkedIn network in your job search to connect with people in other networks.
   

   You can also join industry-specific LinkedIn groups (for example, Online Advertising Professionals). Make sure you join groups that suit your professional interests, as future employers may take these into account when hiring you. LinkedIn also has job listings which indicate if you have any possible connections with the company via your LinkedIn network. LinkedIn is a must-have for social media enthusiasts!

2. Facebook. Chances are you have a Facebook account if you are reading this. If you don't, get one. Facebook has less of a professional feel than LinkedIn, but if you use it correctly, it can work to your advantage. You can sync your blog or Twitter account in your status updates. A lot of businesses are creating groups and fan pages that enable followers to comment on news stories and remain up-to-date on the latest industry developments. You can also share some of these stories with others on your own Facebook profile.
   

   I have used Facebook to contact acquaintances who may know about possible job openings and joined career groups that regularly send job openings straight to your message inbox. Facebook may be a primary way to stay in touch with friends, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to help you land your dream job! Make sure you are careful about what you post since an employer may be looking at your Facebook account.
   

3. Twitter. Also known as a micro-blog (because you are essentially writing a blog post in 140 characters or less), Twitter has been around for a while but has become extremely popular social media tool in the past year. Twitter work similarly to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed in that you can receive live updates from others if you are following them. It seems as if everyone is on Twitter nowadays, including celebrities, businesses and non-profit organizations. So how can you use Twitter in your job search?
   

   Because I am interested in marketing communications, I follow people on Twitter who are PR/marketing/advertising professionals. These people tend to offer valuable tips and insights on their industry and the job search process. It also helps keep me up-to-date on which companies are winning new business and who, unfortunately, had to lay-off workers. Some Twitter users even dedicate their accounts to posting jobs. As with Facebook, be careful what you post on Twitter.
   

4. Blogs. This is probably one of the most helpful tools in the job search process because it allows you to shine and may distinguish you from another candidate. Use a blog to attract potential employers and let them know you are serious and knowledgeable about the industry you are looking to break into. For example, if you are a Fine Arts major looking to work as a freelance art director, perhaps you want to start a blog with commentary on contemporary artwork. Some examples of blogging sites include BlogSpot (also known as Blogger) and WordPress.

Post-Grad

Has anyone ever seen or heard of the movie, Post-Grad?

I haven't seen it yet, so I can't fairly judge the quality of this movie; however, based on the summary I read, this movie couldn't have come at a better time. Unfortunately, this movie did not last long in theaters. But I plan on watching it anyway when it comes out on DVD. Well, whether or not this movie is an amazing piece of work, from the plot summary, it sounds like my life at the moment.

The movie stars Alexis Bledel as Ryden Malby, a recent college graduate looking to land her dream job and move into a luxury apartment. When a college rival "steals" Ryden's dream job, she is forced to move back to her childhood home to her eccentric family and, sadly, a growing pile of rejected applications. She feels like her life is going nowhere, and the only thing that is helping her hold onto her sanity are friends and (here comes the romantic comedy part) her hot next-door neighbor.

Well, so far it sounds like my life (minus the eccentricity and a hot next-door neighbor), and I imagine most other recent grads who haven't found a job by now feel similarly. According to the amount of time it spent in theaters, maybe it isn't that great of a movie, but I would give it a chance since it is something I can relate to. Has anyone seen the movie and care to comment?

Summer's Over. Still Don't Have a Job?

Here is a website from Good Morning America you might want to check out:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/

They have a lot of good articles and videos about the job hunt for recent graduates.

A Slightly Better Economy?

I did not get the job I previously posted about. Of course, I was disappointed because the job searching process has been a tough one. I am interested in learning more about the HR process.

Fortunately for me (and other recent grads), I have seen a slight spike in the number of entry-level communications positions; however, due to the still extremely large pool of unemployed college graduates (including some from the Class of 2008 who might have taken a part-time or temporary job in the mean time), competition is still fierce.

Sometimes I think about going back to grad school and getting a master's, but my top priority is entering the workforce and building a career.

One thing I noticed was that some of these larger agencies I have been looking into do not post entry-level opportunities on their career database. Some companies don't even have a career database, and just want you to email your cover letter and résumé to the HR main e-mail. As much as job seekers like seeing job postings, if you e-mail the company directly, it shows you have initiative and that you are interested in working there. Even though they may not have any openings, they can put your résumé aside if they have any future openings.

I wonder how flooded their inboxes get. For my first job interview, the interviewer told me he received 500 applications! 500! And this was for a tiny company.

But I am happy to find at least the amount of opportunities is slightly going up. Just a little bit.

Until next time.

Interview Review

Did you ever go on an interview and get nervous? Following the interview, did you ever wish you could go back and rephrase something, add to an answer or take back something you said?

I hate that feeling.

Today I met with three people for an interview. The first interview was with an HR specialist, and it was very brief. I wouldn't even call it a real interview. We just talked for a couple of minutes about the company and the team I'd be working with. Then I met with two of the Account Supervisors.

I felt nervous around the first interviewer. Don't get me wrong - she was extremely nice, and she asked a lot of questions I had answered well in previous interviews. But a hectic morning (including a lost credit card, causing me to have a lack of funds to buy my NYC train ticket) made me more stressed. Nevertheless, I think it went well overall; however, I would go back and rephrase a few statements I made or add some more things.

By the time I spoke to the second Account Supervisor, I wasn't really nervous. He told me more about the busy nature of the account. Which is good, because I do not like jobs where you sit at a desk all day and it is really slow.

Hopefully, they all liked me, and if so, I can meet with the Account Director. My fingers, toes and eyes are crossed. I really want this.

Until next time,
Lauren

And the Job Search Continues...

I realize I have not updated this blog in a while. Unfortunately, I am still unemployed.

As many recent graduates probably know, the 2009 job hunt has been a tough one. So far, I have only interviewed with one company and am interviewing with another company this Thursday. So now I have to pull out the suit and hope it is not extremely hot when I go into NYC for the interview. Hot, muggy days in the city are the worst; however, for a potential job, it is worth it.

The interview I have on Thursday is for a position that is relevant to my career goals. Though I know this is an interview and not a job offer, things are starting to fall back into place, little by little.

The only piece of advice I can give to recent grads who still do not have a job and are having trouble getting interviews is to hang in there. Something will come up eventually. You might wait one month or ten months, but careers fall into place if you work at it. Finding a job can be a full-time job itself. Too bad you do not get paid for it, otherwise many of us might be rich...

Until next time.

Survival of the Fittest

I graduated about a month ago and am still on the job hunt. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will not be able to work for the company I interned with last summer. Day after day, there is another setbeck...another road block, keeping me from achieving my goals. I have to constantly remind myself not to give up. It is quite competitive out there (especially in marketing/advertising/PR), which is why I see it as "survival of the fittest."

Last summer, I found myself in a very similar situation. I was about to start my senior year of college, and I wanted an internship for the summer. I casually looked at the beginning of the Spring 2008 semester, looking more intensely as the semester winded down. I applied for internship after internship (even a few office jobs), only to find my search unsuccessful (not even landing any interviews).

One day, I found a listing for a marketing internship at a company in New York City. It was exactly what I was looking for. Also, they paid quite a generous amount (more than I saw listed for other internships). Noting my past unsuccessful tries at applying for internships, I was so close to not applying for this. I figured this would just be another rejection. Despite my pessimism, I applied. That same day, I had a phone interview. A day later, I had a message in my inbox asking all candidates to design some marketing collateral for the company. Finally, I was hired! Had I not taken the opportunity, I would have probably been under much more stress last summer. Who knows? Perhaps I would have not had an internship at all. But I learned an important lesson (and I realize this is cliché sounding): don't give up. Take advantage of all opportunities, even if you do not think you have a chance at something.

Of course, the actual job search is much more difficult, but eventually everyone falls into place. I will update more often - keep reading!

I Did It!

I am officially a BU grad with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. When I walked into the auditorium for the College of Communication's ceremony, I got very emotional. The whole experience was surreal. I cannot believe I will not be returning to Boston University next year and I am entering the "real world." I am excited about starting a new chapter of my life, but extremely sad that I had to leave behind the past four years of my life.

Now I really have to get down to business and follow up on some of the jobs I have applied for and keep looking. This whole experience is overwhelming - college flew by. It seemed like just yesterday I was touring the university campus on accepted student day. It seemed like just yesterday I started my first internship with a major publications company.

Anyways, I will post an update about the job situation later in the week! I know from my feed that people have been visiting...any other recent grads? Please comment!

Less than a week...

In less than a week, I will officially be a member of the "real world." On Sunday, May 17, 2009, I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Boston University and joining the sea of thousands and thousands of other recent grads on their quest to find the Holy Grail aka a job.

As many of you are aware (and as I have mentioned before), the current economy is making it quite difficult for many recent graduates as well as those with numerous job experience to find and secure a job. So how do you position yourself among the thousands, maybe even millions, of other job seekers in an economy where finding a job is as easy as finding a four-leaf clover?

The key is to not give up. I realize this might sound a bit cliché, but it is true. You may get discouraged if you do not hear back from your ideal job, but you cannot let that hold you back. I know people from the previous graduating class at Boston University who still do not have jobs. While this may be shocking, you have to understand that things will eventually fall into place if you do your homework and are committed to the job-search process. Be proactive.

So, in less than a week, maybe I will have a job prospect, maybe I won't. I just finished classes last week, so now let's see how I tackle this challenge.

The Interview

I had my informational interview last Tuesday. Upon entering the building's spacious marble lobby, I took the elevator to the 20th floor. When I got off the elevator, the first thing I noticed was the large, silver letters that spelled out the company's name on the wall. As I walked further inside, I noticed the agency had a very trendy, modern look to it - the clean wooden-panel floors; the long, sleek red couches; and the glass-enclosed meeting room. The receptionist told me I could have a seat while I waited for the HR person to come greet me. I could not stop staring into the meeting room (where there was a meeting going on) and thinking, "I wonder what they are discussing in there."

After about 20 minutes of looking into the meeting room and leafing through an agency book, the HR specialist Mary (name has been changed) came to greet me. Mary shook my hand and led me to her office.

The interview went pretty smoothly. We first had a small discussion about school and some of the teachers I had. She then looked at my resumé and asked me about some of my individual job experience. I spent a lot of time talking about working for AdLab, my college's student-run advertising agency.

It was then my turn to ask her questions. I asked her questions regarding new business, employee motivation and employee skill workshops/programs.

I have been so preoccupied with school lately that I have not really been job searching. More updates next week - I turn 22 Monday!

Updates Coming Soon

I have been so busy the past week. Final exams are coming up and final projects have to be completed. I will update about my informational interview soon. It went pretty well!

Preparation for the Real World

So here it was - an absolutely gorgeous Easter holiday and what am I doing? Sitting inside, contemplating what to write for my positioning and planning analysis. Basically I had to pick a product, brand or service and extract a positioning statement from one of its advertisements. Furthermore, I had to write thoughts on the different planning techniques that may have been used to create the advertisement. For those of you who are not familiar with advertising lingo, account planning is basically consumer research. You have to get inside the mind of the prospect and figure out why they enjoy or dislike a certain product/service. This can be done through interviews, focus groups, ethnographic studies and more.

Back when I picked advertising as a major, I considered going into account planning. Then I figured it was not really my cup of tea, and I thought about ad management. Well, my professor told us that ad management basically is account planning. Because you really have to understand certain consumer insights to ensure that your positioning of a product/service is accurate.

---

I realize the first couple of blogs I wrote were me in a complaining mode. Once I get past this rush of schoolwork, I will start updating on the job situation. Updates on the informational interview coming this Thursday!

So Much Work

It is so difficult balancing school work with finding a job. Besides AdLab duties, major projects for my grad-level Ad Management class, lots of PR reading to catch up on and yearbook rosters to finish typing up, I have to find a job. Sometimes I do not even know where to start.

Informational interview coming up Tuesday! Off to do my Google Alert search on the company.

Informational Interview

Well, an HR specialist from an agency actually e-mailed me back and invited me in for an informational interview next week. So I have to fix up my resumé to make sure it is "perfect."

I learned so much this last year about applying for jobs. One important thing I failed to do in the past was continuously follow up with some HR people about my application. They get hundreds, even thousands, of applications, so this is a really important step. I realized you should try to e-mail them every so often (not so much to the point where you are stalking them) asking about the status of your application. Also, try to obtain an informational interview if there are no job openings at the company you are interested in.

I am crossing my fingers that this interview my lead to something!

Getting Ready to Find a Job

Given the fact that finding a job is so difficult nowadays, I decided to start a blog with my thoughts about getting ready to jump into the real world. Technically, I am not a "recent graduate" yet, but I thought the title was appropriate given the fact I will be graduating in about a month. So, before I go into detail, let me update you on my college experiences until now.

I am currently a senior advertising major at Boston University. I am very involved with AdLab, our on-campus, student-run advertising agency. I began as an Account Executive my junior year and was recently promoted to the position of Account Supervisor. My main responsibilities include supervising eight client account teams to ensure there are as little problems as possible. I have worked on a variety of accounts ranging from record labels to non-profit organizations. I really enjoy what I do and hope to work in an ad agency as a career.

Lately, I have been searching extensively for job opportunities at various agencies, but so many are laying off as a result of companies cutting back on their marketing budgets, causing agencies to lose major accounts. I recently attended an Agency Night at my school and learned some tips when it comes to applying for jobs.

Anyways, I am sure many of you feel discouraged. Do your homework. Try to network with some of your professors, and see if they know anyone in the field who may be able to help you. Make sure you really understand the company, including any recent news. Try to get an informational interview if you can. Get your resumé and cover letter critiqued.

I may have an interview, but it will be strictly informational.