Last week I participated on a panel at Centennial College’s Talk is Cheap Unconference. Joe Thornley, Thornley Fallis, moderated and Martin Waxman, Palette PR, joined me on the following succinctly named panel, “So, how important is social media to getting a job and building a career in PR.” The conference was well attended with a surprising amount of senior practitioners joining students and junior pros for an evening of chatter.
So is social media good for starting and growing your career? Of course it is – especially now when more young people are competing for a very limited number of jobs. SM is a remarkable way to connect with employers and to show us that you’re smart and savvy. It’s not just about tweets and blogs, it’s also about understanding how these, and other, SM assets fit into the overall PR mix. And then of course you’ll need to make sure to comment on relevant blogs and get your great blog started and use twitter to its full potential.
As you engage in social media, you’ll realize ideally that resumes shouldn’t be the first contact with employers. Resumes sent by soon-to-be and recent grads more or less look the same, especially when they flood in like spam on a busy day. These earnest attempts at getting in the door are easy to ignore or to quickly reply to with thanks but no thanks.
Of course if you post a few smart comments here or on the blogs of Mr. Waxman and Mr. Thornley, well, it’s much easier for us to pay attention. Good luck.
Campbell Communications 