Want a Job? Don’t say this in your next interview

“I don’t even know why I was called about this position”

Recently, I had the opportunity to co-interview a candidate for a position my company was looking to fill.

The candidate showed up 15 minutes early, was well dress and seemed personable. I wish I could say that it was the start of a very great interview, but I can’t. All twenty minutes of the interview were horribly awkward and disastrous.

A few “high-lights” include:

-Her cell phone rang
-She fiddled with her purse on the conference table throughout the interview
-Direct quote: “I don’t even know why I was called about this position”
-She never mentioned how she would actually do the prospective job or why she would be good at it.
-The Web site’s URL listed on her resume was her name, but redirected to something equally as childish as “www.snuggly-carebear.com”
-She generally failed to show any enthusiasm about the position.

Needless to say, she didn’t get the job.

It felt very “full-circle” getting to be on the other side of the table. Having just been hired in late October, my mind was pretty fresh on the “do’s and don’ts” of an interview: dress well, be prepared, know about the company, be excited, show off your skills, etc. I can’t say I’m an expert on how to get a job or how to ace an interview, but I ended up snagging a job in this turbulent economy when more than one person was up for my position.

My biggest strategy was to be over prepared. Before I went in, I made sure that I knew the company’s mission, understood the job description, and more importantly, I was prepared to show off my skills and how they would help the company achieve its goals.

In my interview, I brought my portfolio, showed the team my blog, and described how my work on previous projects had prepared me to take on the position I was interviewing for. I brought crisp resumes and an “about me” page that included a brief description about myself and  links to my blog, twitter, and LinkedIn profile.

For those of you entering your final semester of college I would recommend you start putting together a portfolio of your past and current work. You’ll be surprised to see how much you’ve done and how it actually relates to jobs you might want to pursue.

Don’t confine yourself and only highlight conventional skills, think out of the box. My portfolio includes writing samples, power point presentations, short bio’s about my extracurricular involvement, and  screen shots of the Shop Boysz MySpace Page (Yes, Party Like a Rockstar) and Amy Winehouse’s Facebook Page (Rehab, yes, no, yes, no…yes) that I managed while interning at Universal Music Group. Before I put anything in my portfolio, I made sure I had a clear purpose for it and could describe succinctly how it reflected one of my skills.

I can’t say these are the end all, be all steps one should take, but I know they helped me. If you know yourself and know your skills, you’re ahead of more people than you think.

What tips would you include? Do you value conventional skills more than transferable skills?

Did You Know? A Glimpse into Technology’s Evolution.

YouTube – Did You Know?

Fantastic video on the progression of information technology.

When Companies “Get” Social Media

I always get really excited when companies and brands that I’m familiar with have a strong social media presence and utilize it well. Nothing is more aggravating than seeing a company fake their online savviness. Just because your company has a Facebook profile and follow a million people Twitter, does not mean you’re a leader in social media. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m always a little offended when a company decides to follow me on Twitter, regardless if I would actually benefit from their services or product. Shouldn’t a company engage in social media to connect with their key audience, not to the faceless masses?

I’m very passionate about two things: The Music Industry and Social Media. To feed my hunger for the Music Industry, I manage a band, Earthtone. Seeing as the band is pretty young (they’ve been together since April) and they’re the first band I’ve ever managed independently, most of our work is DIY and “grassroots” (as is the general direction of the Music Industry these days). One resource we’ve begun to utilize is Sonicbids, “a Web site that helps bands get gigs, and promoters book the right bands.” Their mission is, “To empower the artistic middle class.”

A few weeks ago, I was setting up Earthtone’s account on Sonicbids and I came across a few obstacles. My first instinct was to go to Twitter (I may or may not be obsessed…). I tweeted and asked if anyone had any experience using Sonicbids. Within the hour, I received direct messages from two Sonicbids employees, at the tune of “Hey Meghan. Saw your tweet about Sonicbids. Is there anything in particular you’re wondering? Feel free to email at ……!”

WOW! I was impressed with their response and eagerness to help. I sent an e-mail to the address, asked for some troubleshooting advice. I was still having problems (on my part, not theirs) and the fine folks at Sonicbids had me e-mail them my files, and they put together the parts of the profile that I was having trouble with. Having spent most of my summer internship on the phone with the Help Desk because I used a computer that ran Windows 98 (really, Live Nation?!), I was expecting a long and tedious process to get my problems solved, but it was fixed almost immediately.

I’m always suspect when I use a site’s anonymous “contact us” e-mail address or submission form. I want to know that my question is important and that my concern will be heard. Thanks to social media, companies and brands are able to engage with their customers, fast and more efficiently.

A Marketing Vox article, “How-To: Using Twitter to Build Brand Integrity” highlights several great strategies for companies and brands (IMO, Sonicbids is right on track). A few key points include:

• Don’t just be casual; be personal. Enterprise blogging works best when a blogger is frank about what’s happening in his company. But it is generally understood that the blogger will not discuss his personal life. On Twitter, people expect to learn about you. Only then will they care about your company. The CEO of Zappos generated a sizable following for taking this philosophy to heart. He addresses Zappos employees and Zappos issues, but he also shares the things he saw while walking to the airport.

• Be responsive. When you address the CEO of Zappos, he replies to you. The sense you “know” him contributes to goodwill surrounding the brand, which many people already have strong positive feelings about. If you don’t have time for Twitter, find an employee or brand advocate who does. It will probably serve you better if people build relationships with your warm and friendly intern, versus with cold and negligent you.

• Ask for help. From time to time, ask followers what they think about a given campaign or product. Consider their advice. Tell them if you incorporate it. This lends the sense your company values them — not merely as users but as friends with sound opinions.

[Visit the link for more points and further detail]

What companies and brands do you engaged with that use social media effectively?

What advice would you give to a company that is breaking into social media?

Spreading the “Good News” and Building the Church of Social Media

My good friend Emma was recently working at the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) annual meeting where she promoted the Army.mil site and shared with attendees how they are using social media to disseminate their message. In a recent conversation, she told me that the phrase “We’re just helping spread the good news about Twitter’s impact” kept coming out of her mouth; she had even managed to sign some attendees up for Twitter on the spot so that they could follow the Army’s updates (@USArmy).

Spreading the good news. If you’re familiar with Christianity, the Bible commonly refers to “Good News” as the message of Jesus Christ. Followers were and are still instructed to share with others this Good News because it is important for life.

We can relate this idea to spreading the “good news” of Social Media. I’m a huge advocate for Twitter, blogging, and social media in general. I tell my friends to join Twitter all the time, especially those on the verge of graduation and those in the professional world. I was “converted” last spring by my friend Carla (and Twitter guru @carlastephanie ) of Life Before Noon. Since then, I’ve worked dutifully as a disciple to win over new converts (go with me on this analogy…).

Why is it so important that other people use Twitter, blog, and engage in social media? Personally, I believe it legitimizes those of us who actively engage in these activities. For example, if you come across a new band that you really like, you typically tell others about them in the hopes that they’ll tell other people and eventually, this band will be selling records and climbing the charts. They are only successful if people know about them and engage in their music.

Similarly, Twitter and social media becomes very important once people realize its necessity. Having been a skeptic before, I know that people out there think it is an unnecessary waste of time (I know I did at one point), but once I “saw the light” (so to speak), I wanted to tell everyone about it and how it can improve their lives or professions.

I was having coffee with my friend who is a graphic designer/photographer (check out his Flickr site) last week and I mentioned Twitter and my blog. He asked me why they were so important, why I was so into social media. I explained to him how social media has helped me begin to develop my personal brand, make valuable contacts, and has given me an outlet to learn new things.

A week later…he’s started a blog and is on Twitter (@DannyJackson). Send him some messages and congratulate him on joining the community of Social Media.

Do you think it is necessary to spread the “good news” of social media? Why?