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Don't "Poke 'Em" & Other Mistakes Not To Make With Social Media
July 19, 2011
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The 36th annual Conclave was a big hit this year. As Fred Jacobs blogged, “For the second straight year, [Jacobs Media] put together solid ‘classes’ that featured some great learning. And thanks to the continued revival of Conclave, we presented our curriculum to an enthusiastically large crowd, eager to advance their education.”
Among the panels that followed Summer School was one sponsored by All Access called “Great Expectations” -- a session designed for anyone looking to further their career. It was filled with “do’s and don’ts” -- things you may not realize when applying for jobs. Among the panelists were Marc Kalman (Citadel Broadcasting/Minneapolis), Jeff Winfield (NRG Media/Cedar Rapids), Chase Murphy (Entercom Communications/Greenville, SC), and John Dimick (Lincoln Financial).
There were some great takeaways, such as refraining from using “Dear Sir” or “Madame” in your cover letter (make it more personalized), don’t make them “click links” to get more information on you, and supply references along with your resume (not upon request). Basically don’t make it hard for them to hire you. They want you to be the solution to this open position but if they can’t make a personal connection with you off your resume, they move on.
When the topic of behavior and social media came up, it got interesting. The managers admitted they are lurking -- checking out your digital fingerprints. And while today’s technology opens up better lines of communication and opportunities to stand out, you could also misuse technology and get passed up as a result. So, while there were plenty of good suggestions during this Conclave panel, I’d like to add a few of my own -- some basic “don’ts” as you contemplate using social media to further your careers.
1) Don’t “tag” potential employers according to what you think of their personality. (Tagging is a feature on Facebook which gives you the ability to identify and reference people in photos, videos and notes.) It’s not as cute as you may think.
2) Don’t send them Farmville requests - enough said.
3) Don’t write passive aggressive posts about how you’re not getting returned phone calls or worse -- don’t let them see you’re faking sick at your current job.
4) Don’t do this! You are what you “Tweet” and bad grammar and spelling reflects poorly on everyone.
5) And for the love of everything good, don’t “Poke ‘Em.” This Facebook feature allows you to poke people to get noticed. Probably not the kind of recognition you’ll actually get.
My new bosses, Fred and Paul Jacobs discovered me on Twitter. But as they say, “Not in the Anthony Weiner way” - but from a tweet I sent that caught their attention and inspired them to start following me.
Can you imagine the missed opportunity for me had I not grasped the essence of being social? These platforms are not the unrestricted playgrounds people often think they are.
For those who are aware of the dangers of “digital debris,” perhaps today’s “Merge” can be a little reminder about where to draw the line. But if you know someone who doesn’t really comprehend the subsequent effects of unsuitable stuff, share this article on their Facebook wall or tweet this to them today. Yeah, it may be a little passive aggressive to do so but it may also save their butt in the long run.
You can review the types of sessions The Conclave offered this year and hopefully register to join everyone in Minneapolis next year!
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