The Digital Job Hunt

Almost every element of our lives has gone digital. We now go shopping, keep up with long distance friends and apply for jobs via the Internet. For example, if you’re currently searching for a job and aren’t on LinkedIn, you’re doing something wrong.

LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to get your resume on a digital platform. That way, employers can easily gauge your skills and expertise. According to Jeff Bullas, two professionals now join the LinkedIn network every second! More importantly, the majority of people are now using social media to find jobs. As many as one in six workers and over 22 million people have now found their most recent job on the web.

The question is, “How do you stand out from the crowd?” In today’s digital age, it’s important to make sure that every aspect of your job hunt process is on the web, and that includes your portfolio.

Let’s say that you’re applying to a company that’s out of the city or state. Your first interview will probably happen via phone or Skype. If that’s the case, you won’t have the opportunity to physically show off samples of your previous work. What you can do is casually say, “You can check out my digital portfolio to see a few samples.”

Simply including a link to your digital portfolio on your LinkedIn profile makes you stand out from the rest. LinkedIn is great because it allows you to upload your resume. It does not, however, allow you to upload work samples, and that’s where you really shine.

If you’re not design savvy, or don’t consider yourself to be a creative person, don’t worry. There are many websites out there that provide templates so that you can easily fill in your information. I happen to fall into this category and created my digital portfolio on Wix.com. There are many websites out there that are similar to Wix. You just have to find the one that works best for you.

Once you finish your portfolio share it with everyone! You didn’t do all of that hard work for nothing. Share it on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and don’t forget to ask for feedback. Others may see something that you may have missed or might have a great idea for how you could enhance it and make it even better.

Do you have a digital portfolio? Have you seen results because of it? Share your thoughts below, and check out my digital portfolio! I’d love some feedback! 

Johnny Cupcakes Does Social Media Right

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to hear Johnny Cupcakes speak at my school. If you’re not familiar with the man behind the clothing brand, I suggest that you check out his inspirational story. 

While hearing Johnny speak he offered a number of different valuable tips to the audience. Naturally, I took a picture of him during his presentation and posted it to my Instagram account.

 Shortly after, I received a notification that Johnny Cupcakes had liked my photo!

As a public relations practitioner who often tweets for clients, I automatically assumed that his PR team was behind it. It’s not uncommon for companies to hire PR people to do their social media. This includes everything from writing statuses and tweets to blogging and engaging with fans. I was so excited that I tweeted about my Johnny Cupcakes experience right away.

I expected that to be the end of my Johnny Cupcakes journey, but I was wrong. Johnny direct messaged me almost immediately to let me know that it wasn’t his social media team, but him! Consider me shocked. It’s not uncommon for smaller businesses to do their own social media, but it’s almost unheard of for a company as well established as Johnny Cupcakes.

Let’s face it, not many Presidents and CEO’s have time to sit at a computer and tweet for a few hours so it’s completely understandable that they’d hire someone who knows the ins and outs of social media. There is, however, an important lesson that any business, whether big or small, can learn from Johnny Cupcakes.

It’s important to engage with your fans, customers and clients via social media! That’s what social media is all about. Communication is no longer a one-way street. When your target market engages with you, engage back, whether it’s good or bad. Johnny Cupcakes probably had at least 100 tagged tweets, Instagram photos and status updates that night, but he still made time to reach out to little ole me. Thanks to his excellent social media skills, I'm now a Johnny Cupcakes fan for life. 

Startup Vs. Corporation

Photo courtesy of: http://umdpsyc.blogspot.com/2012/02/ever-considered-joining-startup-company.html

It’s no secret that the job market has been tough. As my college graduation date gets closer, I’ve been weighing my options and researching companies, both big and small. One common theme that has continuously popped up is that Young Job Seekers Prefer Working at Startups.

According to the new study by PayScale Inc. and Millenial Branding, when comparing startups vs. corporations, Gen Y prefers smaller companies because of the flexibility and freedom they often encounter. For example, members of the Gen Y group launch most startups, meaning that they get social media and won’t restrict its use as much. 

8 Reasons To Choose A Startup Over A Corporate Job goes on to assess the risks associated with taking a job that will, most likely, pay you less. Mashable defines a “small company” as one that is under 100 employees. What does this mean for you? You’ll be given the opportunity to do more. There’s more than enough work to go around. You’ll probably have to wear many hats, and will therefore get hands on experience you may not have at a big corporation.

Another benefit is that your work will be recognized, as will your failures. Because of this factor, you’ll have to take ownership for your work. Coworkers will notice if you’re slacking off, and mistakes won’t go unnoticed. Your work ethic will be better than ever, and who doesn’t want that?

Working at a startup also provides for an amazing atmosphere. Since there are so few employees you work closer together and really get to know your coworkers. Unless you’re a social recluse, it makes the work place a happy and inviting place to be.  

I personally tested out this theory by scoring my first internship...at a startup. So far, the theories hold true. I’ve been given assignments that before, I would have never thought I would have had the opportunity to work on. Since I’m in such tight quarters with my coworkers, I learn a little bit about every project going on in the office. Lately, I’ve listened in on conversations about video editing, graphic design and marketing, all topics outside of my expertise.

Most importantly, I’m given the opportunity to spread my wings everyday. Talking to my bosses isn’t scary or intimidating. They’re open to almost any idea I come up with, and the potential to grow is limitless.

Have you considered working at a startup, or do you find that working at a corporation suites you best?

Rocket Hub

I had a great time at the Rocket Hub event at Full Sail University. 

Music Publicists

My most recent class at Full Sail University has been teaching me about the importance of artist managers. Artist managers handle the business side of whatever industry they happen to be working in. For example, artist managers can work in fields such as music, literature, or film. In class, we recently watched a video featuring Marc Oswald, the music manager of many successful artists such as Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy.

I love this concept of music management given by Oswald. You can see from the video that public relations is included as one of the spokes of the wheel. For the purpose of this blog post, I thought it would be interesting to explore the duties of public relations practitioners in the music industry, or music publicists. Any good public relations practitioner knows that his or her duty is to act as liaison between their client and the media or press. Specifically, music publicists take care of media relations for a music group or musician and must work directly with the artist’s management to uphold their image.


Just like the music manager, the publicist must wear many hats since they handle all areas of the artist’s public image. For example, a music publicist might oversee an interview with a talk show host or media representative. Prior to the interview they make sure that the topics to be covered are appropriate. Additionally, they may work with marketing to make sure that the messages communicated are an asset with the artist’s image.


Today, the role of music publicist is changing. Like with many careers, the Internet has greatly affected the way that public relations practitioners in all fields work. Social media, especially, has greatly changed a publicist’s duties. Artists can now talk directly to their fans and the media through social media channels. For example, every time Lady Gaga tweets to one of her 25,240,891 followers, she is sending a message to both them and the press.

Many people would think that this might make a music publicist’s job easier, but often times it can turn into a public relations disaster when artists fail to contact their publicist prior to posting. When a post does go awry music publicists usually face their biggest challenges. Damage control then becomes their highest priority. Whether a music publicist is writing a press release for an artist’s newest concert tour or cleaning up scandal, they must work directly with the artist's management in order to maintain their overall image in a favorable way. 

eReaders

Since attending Full Sail University I’ve become very familiar with ebooks. The majority of our class textbooks come in this format, and after my eyes lost focus from reading on my MacBook, I decided it was time to invest in an ereader. 

By now, I’m sure the majority of you have heard of ereaders. As a matter of fact, the latest study from Pew Internet states that 29% of people in the United States own either a tablet or ereader. Tablets have dominated the industry for a while now, but Business Week predicts that ereader sales will triple by 2016. So far this year there have been 25 million ereaders sold, and any reading enthusiast will tell you why. 

As an avid reader and Apple lover, an iPad is high on my wish list, but at the same time being able to read outdoors is a huge must for me. The LCD screen featured on tablets doesn’t allow you to read outside as easily, but the e-ink display found on ereaders gives the look of an actual book, and makes it just as easy to read in direct sunlight. In addition most are smaller and lighter than many books, making it easy to hold and take from one place to another. To me the biggest perks are the battery life and price. My Kindle Touch has a two-month battery life, making it easy, convenient and stress free. Furthermore, the basic Kindle model costs only $79, which was a huge plus to a poor college student like myself. 

Over the years I’ve collected a huge number of books, but just as the iPod meant the death CDs, many predict that the same will be true for paperbacks. Paperback book sales have dropped by 25%. With the expected rise of ereader sales, and the lower cost of ebooks, I can’t say that I disagree. If you’ve visited your local library lately you may be shocked to find that many are offering the option to rent ebooks as well. Do you think the fact that libraries are supporting the trend adds credibility to it? Do you have an ereader? 

Photo courtesy of: http://keithjinternet.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/ipad-vs-nook-vs-kindle/

Personal Learning Networks

One important thing I’ve learned while studying at Full Sail University, is to build and maintain personal learning networks (PLNs) via the web. For those of you who don’t know what a PLN is, it is anyone that you engage and exchange information with. Think of it as your social network, but one that is more gauged towards learning. 

Photo courtesy of: http://www.olecommunity.com/the-power-of-personal-learning-networks-wait-what-is-a-personal-learning-network/

Blogs can be an excellent source for PLNs, but they need to be written by credible sources. I have a number of public relations blogs in my PLN. One of my favorites is Richard Edelman’s 6 A.M. blog. As the president and CEO of the world’s largest independent public relations firm, Richard Edelman can certainly be considered a reliable source for any public relations practitioner. I find his blog posts to be extremely helpful because he writes about what he is currently doing in the field. For example, on March 5, he wrote about his trip to Vietnam and China. Readers not only get a first hand look into the life of a public relations practitioner, the blog also offers information on how public relations is practiced in countries all over the world. 

Another one of my favorite daily reads is the blog PR in Your Pajamas. Written by Elena Verlee, founder of the Cross Border Communications agency, this blog covers a wide variety of different topics within the field of public relations. For example, on March 13, the blog featured a post titled, 7 Critical PR Lessons for Launching Start-Ups. I found this post to be extremely beneficial while working on my business plan in graduate school. 

These are only two of the blogs in my PLN, and not all of them are public relations related. It is important that your PLN covers a wide variety of topics. My PLN is also comprised of technological and social media blogs that I find to be extremely beneficial. Consider setting up a really simple syndication (RSS) feed for all of your favorite blogs. Google has a great RSS reader that can help you get started. You can also use your Twitter to keep track of your PLN. Both writers of the blogs above have Twitter accounts. By following your favorite blogs on Twitter, you can easily find out about blog updates and new posts.

Which blogs do you consider to be an asset to your PLN? Do you a use a different reader for your RSS feed?