Archives For LinkedIn

Amplify Tool Review: Sprout Social

May 14, 2013 — 1 Comment

Sprout 2

As a talent leader working for a non-profit organization that is heavily vested in social media, I’m constantly looking for new tools and resources that increase our efficiency and enable us to have a greater impact in our recruiting and employment branding efforts. My budget is limited which generally steers me towards free, or nominal cost, platforms. It has to be a pretty valuable tool for me to make an exception to that rule. Sprout Social is one of them.

Founded in 2010, Sprout Social is a social media management platform that allows you to actively manage a variety of social media channels. The platform features robust analytics and a reasonable price point for SMB’s and non-profits (pricing details below). Sprout is a private company backed by the venture funds of NEA and Lightbank.

I’ve been using Sprout for several months now, and it’s become one of my ‘must have’ social media resources. The biggest value for me is efficiency and time-savings. I’m involved in the management of nine social media platforms (across Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn). I also manage three hashtag communities. The ‘smart inbox’ feature is an invaluable time-saver that aggregates all of that content into one stream I can review through the web or a mobile device. Sprout also provides the ability to ‘pin’ tasks. If you have multiple users managing your social media accounts, you can use this feature to delegate follow-up and assign tasks to team members.

There are some limitations that in my mind prevent Sprout from being an all-in-one social media platform. I prefer Buffer for scheduling as it allows more flexibility in scheduling send patterns for multiple channels. I also feel HootSuite and TweetDeck are better real-time social media monitoring platforms with their multi-column displays.

The above limitations notwithstanding, Sprout has become the most valuable tool in my social media tool belt. While there are other enterprise platforms out there that do all of this and more, Sprout’s feature-rich capabilities and price point make it a solid tool for many organization’s social media management efforts.

  • Website: http://www.sproutsocial.com
  • Cost: Pricing starts at $39/user per month for the entry-level ‘Standard Plan’. You can expand your feature set at two other plans, including Deluxe ($59) and Premium ($99). Full pricing details can be found here. *Note: they do offer non-profit discounts, so if that applies to you be sure to ask.
  • Mobile Friendly: Very – they have Android and iOS mobile apps for iPhone and iPad that are feature-rich and deliver almost all of the functionality of the website.
  • Recruiter Benefits: Numerous. Managing multiple social media accounts, hashtag community management or tracking, keyword monitoring, built-in RSS reader, boomarklet for easy sharing, engagement analytics and reporting, conversation history, scheduled publishing and more. The ‘smart inbox’ is the single biggest time saver if you actively manage multiple accounts.   
  • Rating: 9/10
Sprout

Screen shot of Sprout’s iOS app.

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Social Media And Your Job Search – 5 Myths (And Truths) You Should Know

March 20, 2013 — 7 Comments

The following is a post I contributed to Careerealism’s Professional Emancipation Project (P.E.P.). 

There is a lot of discussion about how, where, and why one must use social media in today’s digital economy. It can be a bit overwhelming for some. The following myths and truths are intended to demystify some of the ways in which you can utilize social media as a job search resource.

Myth: You Must Use Social Media To Find A Job

Truth: Despite what many experts tell you, social media is not an absolute requirement for all jobs and careers. There are many fields where traditional job boards and resumes are still effective tools for finding your next job. Generally speaking, social media tends to be most effective as a job search tool in ‘corporate’ roles and careers where you have a cubicle, desk, or office.

Myth: You Must Build Your Personal Brand

Truth: The term ‘personal branding’ was introduced in 1937. It’s become a common, though somewhat maligned, term in today’s digital economy. Supporters view it as a word of empowerment, taking control of your ‘business of one’ and presenting your self in an orchestrated and deliberate way. Detractors argue the term is contrived, and positioning the individual as a commodity or ‘brand’ is wrong and lacks authenticity.

Perhaps a better term to define the concept is ‘Digital Footprint’. What does this mean? Google yourself. What you find is your digital footprint. It’s the sum of your collective digital presence – social media, blogs, interviews, etc. Putting some thought into how you present and organize these findings helps you cohesively build your digital footprint. You can use tools like Knowem to search domains and social media account for particular names you might want to use for your digital accounts. While by no means required, having similar names for Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, and so on makes it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find you.

Continue Reading…

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A Recap Of #NPRTwitterChat

February 4, 2013 — 29 Comments

Twitter's Chris Dobbins, NPR's Lars Schmidt, Jennifer McClure and William Tincup discuss the upcoming #NPRTwitterChat event at Twitter HQ. [photo courtesy of Craig Fisher]

Twitter’s Chris Dobbins, NPR’s Lars Schmidt, Jennifer McClure and William Tincup discuss the upcoming #NPRTwitterChat event at Twitter HQ. [photo courtesy of Craig Fisher]

Last week was the debut of #NPRTwitterChat, a collaboration between the HR teams of NPR and Twitter aimed at helping job seekers use social media as a job search tool.

There were over 800 tweets sent throughout the one hour chat. The Storify link below captures some of the highlights. Feel free to share freely with anyone you think could benefit.

Click to view the story “#NPRTwitterChat Recap” on Storify

Thanks to our friends at Twitter’s @JoinTheFlock, especially Janet Vanhuysse (@janetvh), Anitra Collins (@anitra10), and Chris Dobbins (@dobbins) for collaborating on this effort. I also want to thank some of the HR/Recruiting friends who shared their expertise including Laurie Ruettimann (@lruettimann), Alexandra Levit (@alevit), Craig Fisher (@Fishdogs), William Tincup (@williamtincup), Susan LaMotte (@SusanLamotte), Jennifer McClure (@JenniferMcClure), and Curtis Midkiff (@SHRMSMG). Continue Reading…

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NPR and Twitter HR Partner to Provide Social Media Job Search Tips

January 8, 2013 — 2 Comments

NPRTwitterChat2I’m excited to announce a new collaboration between the NPR and Twitter Human Resource teams aimed at helping job seekers learn how to use Twitter as a job search resource – #NPRTwitterChat. You can learn more about this project on the NPR.org’s This Is NPR blog here.

The event will be held Thursday 1/31 from 5-6pm EST. You can follow along by watching the #NPRTwitterChat hashtag through Twitter.com or a tool like TweetChat.com. I’ll be using Storify to compile the key highlights and recommendations from the event for job seekers I’ll share here following the event.

If you have questions about using Twitter as a job search tool you’d like us to cover, tweet them to us using the #NPRTwitterChat hashtag by 1/25/13.

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9 Steps You Can Take Today To Find A New Job in 2013

January 2, 2013 — 8 Comments

2013_2

It’s a brand new year, a time where many people attack their New Year’s resolutions with excitement and resolve. If you were one of the many people whose resolution involves finding a new job or making  career change, you may be wondering where to start. Here are nine steps you can take today to position yourself well to find your next gig. 

  1. Update your resume: How long has it been since you updated your resume? Chances are it could benefit from at least a few tweaks. Whether you’re actively looking for a job or not, it’s a good idea to keep you resume current as you never know when an opportunity may come along. Here are some resources that can help: How To Spruce Up A Boring Resume (via Mashable), Tips for Writing a Resume in Online World (via WSJ)
  2. Update your LinkedIn profile: Most recruiters are actively using LinkedIn to find candidates. Will they find you? If so, what will they find? Do you have a (somewhat professional) photo? Do you have a compelling headline that will catch their attention? Is your profile 100% complete? LinkedIn is one of the top sourcing platforms for Recruiters, so how you present yourself here is important. You can find some great tips on how to create a compelling profile from LinkedIn expert Craig Fisher here.  Continue Reading…
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LinkedIn’s Top 10 Overused Buzzwords, And The Rise Of #Sociallateral

December 4, 2012 — 1 Comment

USA-LI - Buzzwords-2012LinkedIn’s 2012 list of most used buzzwords was published today.

Most of these terms are pretty common. I haven’t performed a self-audit yet, but it’s likely all of them show up in one area or another on my profile. Is that bad? No. The key to a good LinkedIn profile (and resume for that matter) is not to abuse these terms. When used constructively to illustrate specific examples of what you have accomplished, these terms can be valuable. When strung together to show your responsibilities include utilizing your extensive experience and effective track record leveraging innovative and creative problem solving solutions (six points!) – well, off to jargon jail for you. Continue Reading…

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How To Pick Your Next Employer

November 27, 2012 — 3 Comments

A former colleague reached out to me a few weeks ago with a quandary. She had recently joined a well-known company in a Marketing leadership role – and learned a few weeks in the manager, culture, and organization were not at all what she expected. She loves the work she’s doing – but doesn’t feel she’s in the right organization and was seeking advice on how to pick the right employer. The full background of our discussion is here.

We talked about a few things she could do, which led her to suggest the topic would make for a good blog post. I wanted to tap into the collective wisdom of my network so thought I’d pose the question to some smart HR friends and see what advice they have. I got some great responses below that provide valuable insights and action job seekers can use when vetting their next opportunity. I also recommend reading this recent article by George Anders, 11 Ways to Gauge Your Next Employer’s Culture.

Susan LaMotte (Exaqueo.com, blog, @SusanLamotte) 

  • Ask to speak to more people in the organization–make sure you get 15 minutes with key team members in all reporting lines
  • Ask your potential new boss what his/her day is like–what meetings they have on the calendars and how work gets done
  • Find people who have just left the org (previous job on linked in profile) and find out why
  • Ask for examples of times things happened that they promise. for example: “that’s great to hear that you’re really focused on career pathing as an organization. Can you provide an example or two of how that has played out for a few individuals?”
  • Ask things like “how would you react to me doing _____” and fill in the blank with the innovative idea or unique work practice you’re accustomed to. Continue Reading…
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Most Job Descriptions Suck. This One Does Not.

November 2, 2012 — 10 Comments

Update: a friend of mine, Susan LaMotte, commented below inquiring what sucks about this job. My first response was that as a non-profit, resources are limited. Unfortunately that point was reinforced today, and this position was put on hold – dreaded words for recruiters. So, for the time being this job is on the shelf. I met some great like-minded recruiters over the last month, learned how to create inforgraphic job descriptions, and had some great discussions and feedback on this post – so grateful for all of that. This post can now stand as a window into my personal views and perspectives on what it takes to be a successful recruiter in today’s market.

This is not your typical recruiting job. I’m looking for a progressive recruiter to partner with our team to lead and drive best-in-class recruiting and talent strategies at NPR. This infographic provides an overview of key areas of focus, the full job description below goes into much more details (it’s lengthy, but it’s worth it).

This Is Not Your Typical Recruiting Job

This is the job for you, if…

  • You’re a pioneer; a progressive, hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves recruiter who would be successful with a landline and a phonebook if the Internet died tomorrow. You’re a natural networker who’s comfortable interacting at all levels – able to simultaneously woo the Executive Producer of a major newsmagazine while helping an intern with her resume. You understand how to leverage social media to expand your network, maintain relationships, and satisfy your unquenchable thirst for lifelong learning (and perhaps your penchant for cat videos and internet memes).
  • Solving big, complex problems excites you. The challenge of figuring something out sparks your competitive instinct. (We’re a not-for-profit, so scrappy resourcefulness and creativity is essential.) You cringe at the thought of reactive recruiting. You’re a team player who proactively shares your knowledge and expertise with coworkers. You have vision, not for what we can be tomorrow, but what might be five years from now; and you have the insight and expertise needed to help guide NPR toward that vision.
  • You’re driven to work at one of the premier multi-media news organizations in the world. The mission of creating a more informed public resonates with you, and you’re inspired and motivated to play a vital role in the hiring, retention, and development of a world-class NPR staff. Continue Reading…
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Things I’m Looking Forward To In My First LinkedIn Talent Connect (#InTalent)

October 10, 2012 — 3 Comments

I’m writing this at 30,000 feet as I’m on my way to Las Vegas for LinkedIn’s annual global user conference, Talent Connect. I’ll admit, I’m a LinkedIn homer, and a devoted fan since I joined in February of 2005.

I admired their strategy to build market share and focus on becoming the de facto professional social network, before looking for more way to monetize their site and offerings. I’m a tech geek with an affinity towards mobile apps, and LinkedIn has strong iOS offerings that really provide a lot of value for recruiters. The Outlook calendar integration in particular, and tools like CardMunch, are huge time savers with practical use for mobile recruiters.

Today’s recruiters have to be mobile, engaging the populations where their organizations recruit, and evangelizing for their companies at every opportunity. These are some of the benefits LinkedIn provides that I mentioned in a contribution to George Anders recent Forbes cover story on LinkedIn.

So, yes, I’m a fan. What am I looking forward to over the next three days in Las Vegas? Continue Reading…

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How To Build A Social Recruiting Platform On Twitter

August 27, 2012 — 13 Comments

Social recruiting. It sounds good, it’s ‘buzzy’ – but what does it really mean? More importantly, how can someone new to social media recruiting get started? This is a broad topic; as social recruiting is complex thing with many layers. Over time with, we’ll dissect the layers through a variety of posts covering topics like social referrals, Facebook company pages, employment branding, and sourcing – but today we’re going to focus on using Twitter as a recruiting tool. Specifically, we’ll be sharing tips on how to create, launch, and grow a corporate recruiting Twitter account.

These are some steps I recommend you take (or at least consider) when launching a social recruiting effort on Twitter. This isn’t designed to be an exact blueprint as every company and culture is different so you should personalize these suggestions for your organization. To that point, understand from the outset that you should tweak all advice that you get on the topic of social recruiting. Every company is different; internal politics, power centers, appetite for risk, target hires, etc. – all of these characteristics impact how you should shape your social recruiting strategy. Scour your networks, resources, contacts, conferences, the Googles and whatever else you can for ideas then figure out how you can tweak and mold them to work for your organization. Continue Reading…

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