15 tips for those seeking real jobs in social media

1. Talk to me about something other than Facebook and Twitter.
2. Tell me that you read more than Mashable. What about news? Read any of that lately?
3. Bring some knowledge about user behavior and tell me about a few studies you’ve recently read.
4. Have an opinion about the future. Heck, make a prediction. That shows me you’re a thinker.
5. Be sure you understand that posting tweets does not equal, Twitter campaign.
6. Don’t tell me about the celebrities you tweet with unless you’ve turned that into a conversion or generated new business as a result.
7. Know a little something about social communications.
8. Refrain from telling me how you’ve helped anyone “push” their messages. You say “push,” I tune out.
9. Know that rapid growth in fans and followers is unimpressive if you don’t have a smart, strategic story that supports that growth.
10. Don’t say you’re a pro at monitoring if you’ve only done it through Google Alerts.
11. Be honest about your skill set.
12. Tell me about a mistake you’ve made related to your own participation in social media and what it taught you.
13. Be ready to write or discuss a response to an irate customer on the spot – when given a scenario.
14. Know what it takes to be a successful community manager.
15. Have some general knowledge about social advertising.

I am going to stop there.

My point is this: So many people want jobs with “social media” in the title. They believe they’re qualified because they think it’s easy. It isn’t. You must be an active, motivated learner.

The expert of today becomes the idiot of tomorrow if they don’t stay on top of industry trends and strive to learn something new all the time.

If you’re actively looking for these types of positions, go in knowing that your personal use of social tools does not translate to business use. It is not an apples-to-apples comparison.

If you want it, do the work. And when you do get that interview, bring your A game. Anything less is a disservice to you and the person taking the time out of their day to give you a chance.

 

Author’s note: If you’re new here or a subscriber who hasn’t been around in a while, check out my new newsletter, New Media Minutes.

Get serious about landing a job in social media

So you want a job in social media? Great.

You obviously have what it takes to represent brands in the social space, right? Oh, and you’re an excellent communicator with fantastic verbal and written skills too aren’t you?

You know how to deal with conflict, handle crises and respond to irate customers publicly without digging a deeper hole and creating more trouble, I assume.

You care about brand awareness, lead generation and organic growth and you know exactly how to engage an online audience, right?

You measure everything and make changes in real-time when the results you are seeking aren’t coming to pass, and you have big ideas. You follow brands, test new social networks and read about interesting campaigns.

You take calculated risks. You read a lot more than Mashable and stay on top of emerging media trends and consumer habits.

You pay attention to the industry, download white papers and depend on your content aggregator for quick updates when you’re pressed for time.

What?

I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.

You don’t do any of this?

You thought that growing Facebook fans and amassing likes were the requirements for the position?

I see. Thanks for your time.

Have a great afternoon.

How not to land a social media job in 2012

When I started this post, I planned to provide a few tips for landing a job in social media in 2012, but I found myself heading in a different direction.

After all, sometimes the best advice on what to do, comes from focusing on what *not* to do. So here are my thoughts on what you should avoid during an interview, if you’re hoping to land a job ( a legitimate, good job that is) in social media.

If you do not want to get called back for a second interview, do any of the following, and I bet you won’t:

Never think you’ve arrived in social media

I was promoted at work last week.

I’ve been the Social Media Manager for just about two years and now bear the title: Vice President, Director of Social Media. To say that I’m excited about the future and the increased expectations that come with my role would be an understatement. I have a great team that’s growing, and some of the best colleagues I’ve had in my entire career.

When I shared the news in a Facebook status update, the likes and comments went through the roof.  It was amazing to see the out pour of well wishes from family and friends and people I’ve worked with dating back to 1996.

But despite this new title, I am nowhere near complacent. Nor do I feel like I’ve reached a mountaintop. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s a milestone for me. But to think that there is such a thing  as “arriving” or making it to the top in an industry that changes almost overnight is a huge mistake.

If anything, I am even more challenged now to stay on top of changes and trends and make sure that I am providing the best guidance for my team, my co-workers and our clients. I have to groom others to do the same kinds of things that I’ve done and even more.

I have to provide value and work even harder on integration and proving the value of social business.

In my mind, this is the beginning. I know so many people looking to get in social media who feel like all they need is that one position with a well-known (or maybe even not-so-well-known ) brand to claim themselves an expert. But that’s not how it works.

Social Media and Content Strategy Guru Wanted

This is just one of seven awesome new community jobs listed over on Jake McKee’s blog.
If you weren’t so sure about whether or not this community management thing would take off, or whether or not jobs in social media would become more widely available, this is proof.

Even county governments are hiring Twitter and Facebook experts. Need I say more?

Jake’s blog is a great resource and I encourage you to subscribe. Jeremiah Owyang also maintains an excellent list of web strategy jobs that you’ll want to tap into as well.

Have you seen any cool new community or social media jobs lately?

Subscribe in a reader

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future posts delivered to your feed reader.